The Court Record- A Yanmegaman drabble series
by Yanmegaman
Summary: A collection of drabbles following the characters of the AA-verse, inside and outside the courtroom. Will be mostly random stories, and I'm open to suggestions! PM me with any ideas you have and I'll see what I can do.
1. Smash

Phoenix pored over the files on the desk in front of him. He sighed. _God this is boring! Never thought I'd actually miss playing an instrument I never learned._

Maya suddenly burst into the room, a Gamsetop bag in hand. "Nick!" She cried. "Stop whatever boring thing you're doing and get you butt on the couch! I finally got it!"

Phoenix looked quizzically at the woman. "Got what, Maya?"

"Duh, only the greatest game of the last century!" She exclaimed, pulling the game from the bag and shoving it in his face.

Phoenix looked at the title on the box: Super Samurai Smashers Melee

The defense attorney let out an exasperated sigh. "More Samurai junk? Haven't you had your fill yet? I would have thought you'd lose interest after that last train wreck of a movie."

Maya puffed out her cheeks. "Hey, The Steel Samurai vs The Mighty Moozilla was the best movie to date!" She then grabbed Phoenix's arm and dragged him to the couch. She excitedly popped the game into the system and booted it up.

The next several hours, Phoenix spent getting his butt kicked over and over again, Maya complaining that he was using 'low tier' characters, whatever that meant, and hearing Maya's victoy cries over and over again.

Yet Phoenix was no longer bored. So long as the lovely woman next to him was happy and smiling, how could he be?


	2. Pet Store

The Twisted Samurai stood impatiently at the entrance to the pet store. He loathed waiting for this old codger to open his store. However, this was the only store nearby that sold Taka's preferred brand of food.

Finally, the old man rounded the corner, fumbling with the keys to the store.

"Hmph," growled Blackquill. "You're late once again."

The short man shot him a glare. "Don't rush me, young'un! You're lucky I like you, or I wouldn't bother openin' early for you an' that death bird of yours."

Blackquill smugly tapped at his head, much as he would in court. "I jest, Kudo-dono. I did not say I do not appreciate your act of kindness."

"Hmph, that's more like it! Now," the old shopkeeper said. "We got the regular order, right? A three months supply?"


	3. Doctor

A large man sat in a chair of theoffice, nervously fiddling with his ancient jacket. He knew he was going to get an earful today.

Minutes ticked by, seeming like hours as he awaited that dreadful moment. The moment they would call his name, and he'd sent to what may very well be his death.

Finally, the time came. A young woman, whom he could not help but admit was rather attractive, stepped into the office. She called his name and he slow stood and followed the young lady to the back room, where the man he dreaded seeing looked at him.

"Ah, Tyrell. It's good to see you again. I trust you've been keeping the promise we made?"

Tyrell Badd removed the stick he held between his lips. "About that… Doc. You're gonna be…. Disappointed."

The young dentist sighed. "So I can only assume that's not a sugar-free lollipop?"

Badd placed the lollipop back in his mouth. "The truth… ain't sweet, doc. But this lollipop sure is."


	4. War

"Wright, you can't! You won't survive!"

"Listen to him, Mr. Wright. We can find another way out of this!"

Phoenix snapped at his employee and his best friend. "No, there isn't! There's only one way out of this, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you talk me out of this."

Phoenix stood up from his crouch position behind the wall and dropped his weapon. "Tell them I went out doing what I love." He said to Edgeworth before looking straight forward with determination. "Defending." He then began to step forward, his arm's outstretched, welcoming what he knew was to come. Finally, it happened. Quick as lightning, the three rushed him, firing their weapons at him relentlessly. In mere seconds, he was gone.

The three celebrated their victory, but it would seem their celebration was premature, as Apollo and Edgeworth flanked them and took their enemies out in seconds.

"O c'mon! That was cheap." Athena cried as the lights of the laser tag arena came on.

"Indeed, you fools! Using one of your own as a decoy. Have you no shame?!" Cried Franziska.

Maya looked down at her boyfriend, who had dramatically collapsed on the ground. "Nick, you can stand up now."

Phoenix's eyes remained closed, but he smiled and spoke. "Can't hear you, I'm dead."

The group chuckled as Maya helped Phoenix off the ground.

"I want a rematch!" Athena cried.

Apollo playfully pushed her towards the door. "Oh, quit being a sore loser and just pay for the pizza like we agreed."


	5. Cards

**Take that!**

Edgeworth laid his card down on the table with a flourish. "I call forth the third Samurai of the trifecta, the Iron Infant!"

 _Damn it,_ Phoenix thought. _I'm out of time. If I don't get the card I need now, it's all over…_

"Hmph, as I have no other moves I can make this turn, due to the effect of the Samurai's Code, I end my turn." He gave Phoenix a smirk. "You're better off surrendering now."

Phoenix looked over the cards in his hand, then looked back at Edgeworth. "Not a chance, Edgeworth."

Edgeworth shook his head. "Have it your way. Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Wright."

Phoenix drew from his deck and looked at the card, and in an instant, his grim face changed to one of determination. He looked at Edgeworth. "My deck has no pathetic cards, Edgeworth. But it does contain…" He turned the card over to reveal it to Edgeworth. "The unstoppable Sealed Magistrate."

"Nnghoh, impossible!"

Phoenix laid down his hand, revealing the five pieces of the Sealed Magistrate. "I've assembled all five special cards. All five pieces of the puzzle. Now, Edgeworth…"

 **Take that!**

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

Suddenly from across the room, Maya cried out. "Would you two keep it down?! I'm trying to watch TV!"


	6. Grief

A man in red stood over the gravestone, looking down sadly at it. He knelt down and placed what he'd brought him, a small toy rocket ship, at the foot of the stone. He read over the words on the stone for what felt like the millionth time as a chilly autumn wind caused him to shiver.

Clay Terran  
Son and Beloved Friend to the stars  
2004-2027

Apollo sighed. "Has it really been nearly a year?" He still remembered the pain he felt when he got the call from Mr. Starbuck that day. It was bad enough the Solomon was in jail, but to think think that his best friend, the man he loved as a brother, had been murdered, stabbed in the chest, just as he stood at the edge of fulfilling his dream…

Again, Apollo let out a sigh, feeling much like the aforementioned red-haired astronaut. He patted on Clay's gravestone. "I won't keep ya long, buddy. I'm sure you've got plenty to do." He joked. "I just wanted to say happy birthday… And I love ya."


	7. Stone

**A/N: This one goes out to reader ZardX, who asked my friend JordanPhoenix to write a couple drabbles about Clay/Apollo and Larry/Cindy. However, since JP had just finished her series, she passed the request onto me. Hope you enjoy 'em ZardX!**

* * *

Cindy Stone lay unconscious on the ground, her life leaking onto the floor of her apartment. Although unconscious, and rapidly approaching death, she had… A dream? Yes, perhaps that's the word. A dream.

She dreamt of her and a man, running hand in hand up a hill. He was running with as much speed as he had enthusiasm.

Cindy giggled. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get to the top, baby!" The orange clad man said. They continued to run up the hill for several minutes. Finally, they arrived at the top of the hill.

"Alright, now tell me what we're here for!"

The man put on a goofy grin. "See for yourself, baby! Just turn around."

Cindy did just that, turning around to face the sunset. What she saw, made her jaw drop.

In the sky, a plane had just finished spelling out something.

I love you… CANDY Stone?!

"Aw, c'mon, man! I know my handwriting ain't perfect, but that was clearly an 'I'!" He turned to Ciny. "Sorry, baby. I wanted to show ya something special. Just my luck, I get a dyslexic sky-writer."

Cindy giggled and took the man's face in her hands before planting a kiss on his lips. "I love it, Larry. And I love you."

As she remembered this moment, if one were to view the motionless form of the now deceased Cindy Stone, they would just be able to make out the smile on her face.


	8. Scar

Adrian Andrews was a very methodical woman. Everything was planned out in her life. Her morning routine, her breakfast for each day of the week, even which turtleneck she would wear each day.

Ah, the turtleneck. The only thing in her life that held the last of her secrets. On this morning, the morning of a very dark anniversary she would sooner forget, she broke her routine. Instead of stepping from the shower and heading straight to her closet as she normally would, she stopped and viewed herself in the mirror. Or more specifically, viewed her neck in the mirror.

Her ever present scar was in full view. The scar she had given herself five years earlier. It raised unpleasant memories. Memories of Celeste. Of the grief she had felt at the time. Of the helplessness.

Adrian shook these thoughts away. That woman she was no longer existed. She was a new Adrian now. And perhaps one day she would be ready to reveal her final secret to the world. But that day was not today.

She stepped into her bedroom and through on her black turtleneck and pants before heading to the kitchen for her bowl of oatmeal and honey.


	9. Costume

"Maya, I can't even breathe in this thing." Phoenix complained.

"Oh be quiet, the contest will be over soon and when we win that year's supply of Samurai Dogs, you can take it off!" Cried his young assistant.

Phoenix shot a death glare at the woman, though he doubted she could tell through his stuffy Steel Samurai mask. Though he was certain she was smiling ear to ear behind her Pink Princess mask.

"How did I even let you talk me into this?"

"There was no talking. I threw the costume at you and told you to put it on. Now be quiet, they're about to announce the winner!"

The announcer on stage began to speak. "Welcome geeks of all kinds! It's finally time announce the winner of best costume! The winner of the year's supply of Samurai Dogs is…"

"Maya Fey or Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey or Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey or Phoenix Wright." Maya chanted next to Phoenix.

"Miles Edgeworth for his Evil Magistrate costume!"

Maya watched in disbelief as Edgeworth stepped on stage and removed his mask as he waved at the cheering crowd. She suddenly thrust her arm forward, waving her rapier at the man on stage.

 **Objection!**


	10. Halloween

Phoenix and Maya walked happily next to the two young witches.

"Mystic Maya, why are we wearing costumes? This isn't one of your con-ven-shuns."

Trucy's mouth was a gape. "Pearly, you mean you've never been trick-or-treating before?"

"Trick-er treating?"

Phoenix chuckled, readjusting the cape of his vampire costume. "It's something kids get to do tonight, Pearls. Tonight's Halloween. Watch that group of kid's over there." He said, pointing to a group of kid's dressed as Steel Samurai characters.

Pearl watched as the group went to the door of a house and knocked on the door. She was amazed when the person in the house opened the door and handed the children free candy!

Pearl gasped. "Mr. Nick, did those kids just get candy!?"

Maya giggled underneath her zombie make-up. "They sure did, Pearly. Nice people give kids free candy on Halloween. And mean people…"

"Get nothing, Maya." Phoenix scolded the woman, trying avoid her going into detail about the 'trick' aspect of the holiday.

"Ugh, Nick, you're such an old fart!"

Phoenix simply sighed as he led the group to a nearby house.

"Ok, Pearly," Trucy started "When they open the door, you have to hold out your bag and yell 'Trick-or-treat!'"

Pearl nervously chewed on her thumb. "O-ok. I'll try, Miss Trucy."

Phoenix smiled at the two young girls and rang the doorbell.

"Trick-or-treat!"


	11. Time

"Miles Edgeworth! Get in here this instant, you fool!"

Miles Edgeworth sighed as he set down his quill pen and headed to his bedroom, where his expecting wife was shouting his name.

"Yes, my dear, what seems to be the problem?"

Franziska tugged at her whip in her hands. "I'll tell you what the problem is, you fool of a man! It's time and you were in your study instead of here with me!"

Miles readjusted his glasses. "It's…time? I'm not sure I-" His eyes then grew as big as saucers. "Wait, you mean… It's TIME?"

Franziska attempted to lash out with her whip, but in her state, simply ended up tossing it on the floor. "Must I repeat myself? Call the servants and get me to the hospital at once!"

Miles quickly rushed over to the intercom by the bedroom door and called for Olga and Richard.

The two servants quickly rushed in with a wheel chair and rushed the woman to the waiting car while Miles stayed behind a moment to collect some things that they would need soon. As he began to collect the diaper bag and clothes for both himself and Franziska, he couldn't help but smile.

 _Miles Edgeworth, prosecuting prodigy, and now, soon to be father._


	12. Breaking Point

**A/N: These next two go out to JordanPhoenix, who gave me the request for Breaking Point and/or Enough as the prompt. Hope you like 'em, JP!**

* * *

"I can't take this anymore." Phoenix growled under his breath,

"Nick, it's only a few more minutes. Hold it in!" Maya scolded, refusing to let her husband make scene.

"I can't! And do you wanna know why?"

"No, I don't! Just sit there and be-"

"Well, I'll tell you why! First of all, you know I don't like the guy." Phoenix began to explain.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And you're still being a jerk about it. He's really nice and you're just-"

"Second, I have… been against this from the get-go." Phoenix continued, trying with all his might to avoid _that_ word.

"Yeah, and for a stupid reason. 'No one will ever be good enough for-"

"And last, but certainly not least, we both know he's going to say it. It's _Larry_ , how could he not?"

"And if he does, both you and him are going be _very_ sore tomorrow, no sit there quietly or I will personally see to it that this is the last of you children's weddings you get to attend."

Phoenix huffed and turned back to the alter, where Trucy stood with her soon to be husband, Alex.

Maya's eyes grew wide as she heard Larry begin to say those dreadful words. Trucy's mouth flew open as everything began to move in slow-mo and she turned to stop him.

But it was too late.

"If anyone should object to this-"

Phoenix's eyes grew large as that word finally pushed him to his breaking point.

In the crowd, seven people, three defense attorneys and four prosecutors, stood and thrust their arms forward.

 **Objection!**


	13. Enough

Ken Dingling watched from the stands as Regina Berry went through her usual routines. She beamed as Regent the tiger leapt through a large ring of fire, jumping for joy as she practically sparkled in the spotlight.

And Ken felt nothing but hatred.

The girl bounced and smiled as if nothing had happened. As if she hadn't taken away his brother and his legs with a simple…

Money suddenly appeared next to him and dropped something in his lap. He looked down at the shiny object.

A pepper shaker.

Ken was practically shaking at this point. It was all too much. Regina was unaware of everything she had caused. He knew it was wrong to hate her for something she certainly hadn't planned.

But the more he watched the young girl bounce around with her animals, jump around like a bunny, and sparkle like a cherubic angel, the angrier he became. He admitted it. He hated Regina Berry.

And enough was enough.


	14. Wrestling

Jinxie Tenma watched in amazement at the match unfolding in the ring. These matches had quickly become one of her favorite things in the world.

Today's match was against the unbeatable Amazing Ninetails and a heavy weight heavy hitter known as the Sacred Eagle.

Jinxie gasped as the match seemed to take a turn for the worst when the Sacred Eagle caught the Amazing Ninetails in a headlock and pulled him to the ground.

The two wrestlers grappled near the edge of the ring, fairly close to where Jinxie stood.

 _No, the Amazing Ninetails can't lose!_ Jinxie thought. Pushing away her usually shy nature, she called out.

"You can do it, Amazing Ninetails! No one can beat you!"

As the Amazing Ninetails continued to struggle against his opponent, his eyes momentarily met Jinxie's. Even beneath the mask, Jinxie swore she could see the wrestler put on a determined face, and in seconds, he'd completely turned the tables and his the Sacred Eagle pinned.

The crowd burst into cheers and Jinxiw joined in as the Amazing Ninetails removed his opponent's mask. He held it up victory for a moment before locking eyes with Jinxie again. Once again, despite the mask, Jinxie saw the man smile. He then tossed the Sacred Eagle's mask straight at her, which she caught. She looked down at the mask in amazement before turning her attention back to the ring just in time to see the masked wrestler leap out of the ring and exit the arena.


	15. Aftermath

**A/N: For those of you who have been keeping up with my series, Turnabout Ever After, you'll remember that I mention in Vacation in Kurain that Maya visited Phoenix directly after his disbarment and helped pull him out of a rut. Well, I decided to turn that event into a drabble! That's what these next three chapters will be, so I hope you enjoy my take on the events after Phoenix's final trial.**

* * *

Maya rushed to the door of the Wright and Co. Law offices. Or, _former_ Wright and Co. law offices now. She banged on the door. "Nick! Open up, it's me! I just heard what happened."

From inside the building, she heard Phoenix slur out a response. "Go away, Maya. I don't want you to see me. Not like this."

Maya shook her head. "Nick, I don't care about what happened. I don't believe a word of it. Please just let me in!"

Silence from the other side. _Damn it, Nick. Stop being difficult._ Maya reached into her costume and pulled out the spare key to the office. _Thank god I never gave this back._

Maya put the key into the lock and turned it, allowing herself entrance into the office. What she saw made her heart drop.

At his desk, Phoenix lay slumped over, a bottle in his hand and his suit a complete mess. Even his always perfect spikey hair was disheveled.

"Nick!" Maya cried, rushing to the other side of the desk. She placed a hand on her friend's back.

Phoenix slowly leaned up and looked at her. His eyes were glazed over and Maya was now able to see the red stains all over his suit. "Maya. I told you I didn't want you to see me."

The Spirit Medium shook her head. "I don't care." She shifted her foot slightly, feeling it bump against something. She looked down to see three glass bottles on the floor. She bent down and picked one up to examine it. "Wine? What the hell, Nick!? THIS is your way of coping with this? I didn't even know you drank!"

Phoenix took a long swig from the bottle still in his hand. "I don't. Not usually. Maya, please, just go. I'm sure the Elders are already up your ass for coming to a cheating lawyer."

Maya snatched the bottle from his hand. "Not a chance in hell, Nick! If I leave, you're just gonna drink yourself stupid. Or stupider, I guess."

"What does it matter, Maya? I just bluffed my way to the top anyway. I'm no better than some poker player." He shifted his eyes to the floor, staring at one of the empty bottles. "Heh, poker. The game that started this mess."

Maya looked at the man sadly. She then set the bottle in her hand down and knelt down to Phoenix's level and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Nick. I wish I could have been there. Maybe I could have helped."

Phoenix lazily returned the hug. "Don't blame yourself, Maya."

The two sat there for awhile, not speaking. Simply holding each other.


	16. Sleep

Maya slowly led Phoenix back to his room. He hadn't really sobered up, so he had to use her as a human crutch.

"Maya, you really don't have to stay here. The longer you're here, the worse you're gonna get it from the Elders."

"Nick, that doesn't matter. I'm not leaving you like this." Maya said as she opened the door to his bedroom.

"Are you sure?" Phoenix asked as she carefully set him on the bed.

"I'm certain. You're my best friend, Nick. What kind of person would I be if I abandoned you?"

"Heh, you wouldn't be the first one. I haven't heard a thing from Edgeworth since it all went down."

Maya sighed and took out her phone, opening her messages and showing it to Phoenix.

Phoenix looked over the messages. Apparently Maya had been having an extensive conversation with Edgeworth.

"He says he hasn't been able to get ahold of you. Your cell phone goes straight to voicemail and the office phone is disconnected."

"Heh," Phoenix chuckled softly. "Yeah, that thing was ringing off the hook because of reporters. Had to unplug it. Guess I let my cell die without realizing it."

"Yeah, probably when you drowning your sorrows in cheap booze."

"Don't remind me." Phoenix said as he laid down on the bed. "This is gonna be one hell of a hangover."

Maya smiled softly, glad to see the repercussions of his actions hadn't escaped him. "Don't worry. I'll be here tomorrow to nurse you out of it."

Phoenix smiled into the pillow. "You're an angel, Maya." He then closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Maya sat on the bed next to him, simply watching as he slept. _I promise I won't let you go through this alone, Nick. I love you way too much to do that._

Soon, drowsiness began to overtake Maya and she laid next to Phoenix before drifting off to sleep as well.


	17. Chat

Phoenix stirred slowly, his head throbbing with pain. He held it tightly. _Damn, I've always been a lightweight. What the hell was I thinking?_

He slowly lifted himself from the pillow and looked around the room. _Same old same old._ His ears then picked up on a sound. It sounded like…

"The TV?" Phoenix asked. He slowly but surely brought his feet to the floor and began to shamble to the living room, where he found Maya cooking breakfast with the TV playing an episode of, surprise surprise, the Steel Samurai.

"Morning Maya." He said groggily, making a bee line for the coffee pot.

Maya glanced over her shoulder at the man. Her expression was blank. "Oh, morning Nick."

"Gulping down the coffee as if his life depended on it, Phoenix took a seat at the table. His eyes briefly glanced at the newspaper Maya had apparently been reading. It had been torn in half, but it didn't take a genius prosecutor to figure out the headline read _Phoenix Wrong: Forgin' Attorney._

Phoenix guickly knocked the paper onto the floor and turned his attention back to Maya. "So what are you making, Maya."

Maya didn't look away from the stove. "Biscuits and gravy. I heard it's a good hangover remedy."

Phoenix got the hint that she wasn't exactly in a talking mood, so he simply continued sipping on his coffee until Maya brought there breakfast over.

"Thanks, Maya."

Maya didn't reply and simply dug into her own food. Phoenix picked up his fork and followed suit. The two ate their breakfast in silence until their plates were cleaned.

Maya looked at Phoenix. "Feel any better?"

"Yeah. A little. The headache's starting to go away."

Maya stood and strode over to him. "Good. Because…" She then quickly raised her leg and delivered a swift kick to Phoenix's chest, sending him sprawling to the floor. As Phoenix tried to compose himself, Maya walk over again and stood over him, her hands on her hips. "You and I are about to have a little chat, Drinky."


	18. Gaming

Edgeworth sat at his desk in the chief prosecutor's office. Normally, one would find the man painstakingly poring over one file or another, as his job often entailed. However, in this instance, his focus was entirely on his computer screen as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

On the screen, Edgeworth's character, dubbed the Titanium Titan, vanquished another foe. Edgeworth smirked. _This game has become far too easy. Are there no other worthy foes?_ As he thought this, a pop-up appeared on his screen.

The Black Baron has issued a challenge

Accept?

Y/N

Edgeworth looked around his screen and noticed that a black clad character had appeared next to his. Edgeworth let out a "Hmph." And accepted the challenge.

The Black Baron put some distance between the two as the timer began to count down. Edgeworth popped his knuckles as he noticed his opponent beginning to apply some buffs to his power. Edgeworth followed suit.

The timer finally hit zero and Edgeworth went to work, charging at his opponent and launching his kunai projectiles that had a chance to paralyze. However, the Baron dodged expertly and charged at the Titan and swiped at him several times, taking a good chunk of Edgeworth's health.

Edgeworth tensed up, realizing this player was no amateur and began to go on the defensive, trying to evade the Baron's attacks. However, the Baron seemed to be predicting his movements and ate away at Edgeworth's health. Finally, Edgeworth used an item that he had held onto for quite a long time, should the occasion ever arise for its use. An impenetrable shield placed itself between The Titanium Titan and the Black Baron. Edgeworth smirked. _This shield will stop all of your head on attacks for the next 30 seconds. More than enough-_

Edgeworth's thoughts were cut short when he saw the Baron put his fingers to his mouth and whistle. The next moment, the baron charged at Edgeworth again, attacking but dealing no damage through the shield. Edgeworth reveled in his oncoming victory and began to ready his counter attack when…

"Screeeeeee!"

The sound of a hawk screeching was the last thing Edgeworth heard before said hawk swooped in from behind and depleted the last of Edgeworth's health with a sneak attack from behind his shield.

Edgeworth slumped back in his chair and stared dumbfounded at the losing screen. _What manner of player is this!?_

Meanwhile, several floors below, Simon Blackquill whistled for his feathered companion Taka, who flew to his shoulder as Blackquill stared at his computer monitor.

"Hmph, this game is becoming far too easy, wouldn't you agree, Taka?"


	19. Fire

"Is everything in place?" Trucy asked into the walkie-talkie.

Athena's voice came through the other end. "Ready to go, Truce! Your feed should be all set up."

Trucy turned to the computer monitor on the desk she was seated at and clacked away at the keys. Soon enough, she was viewing a live feed of the courtroom, via a camera installed on Widget. Trucy could make out her father, who was co-council to Apollo for this particular trial. An evil smile played on the magician's lips. She spoke into the walkie-talkie again. "You ready, Athena? This is gonna be an amazing trick."

"Just get on with it! This is going to be so satisfying."

Trucy giggled and set the walkie down and made several hand gestures at the screen.

"Alakazoo! Alakazee! Alakazam!"

On screen, Apollo was speaking to the Judge.

"And that, Your Honor, is how the mystery of the flying… Um, is something burning?" Apollo asked as he sniffed the air and smelled smoke.

At the prosecutor's bench, Klavier Gaving looked at the defense attorney and liaughed. "Ja, Herr Forehead. It would seem you are on fire."

"I'm on… GAH!" Apollo cried as he looked down and noticed his tie ablaze.

Trucy burst out laughing as the screen began to shake, no doubt indicating Athena's own laughter.

 _That'll teach you to eat our popsicles, Polly!_


	20. Ice

Phoenix slid up to Maya, who stood at the edge of the ice rink. "Maya, aren't you going to join in?"

"Huh? Oh, s-sure! O-of course, Nick!" She stuttered out.

Phoenix gave the woman a quizzical look. "Maya, is everything alright?" You don't seem yourself."

"I-I'm fine! Really, Nick!" She cried as she tentatively took a step onto the ice, instantly losing her balance both to the slippery ice and the unnatural feeling of the ice skates on her feet. Maya rubbed her behind as Phoenix held out a hand to her.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say you've never been ice skating before."

Maya pouted as she took the man's hand and was hoisted back to her feet. She lost her balance again and collapsed into her partner. She looked up to see the man smiling at her and blushed before quickly pushing herself away, nearly sending herself back to the ice before Phoenix grabbed her hand and pulled her to him to keep her from losing her balance once again.

"Maya, relax. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone started out falling on their behind."

May gently pushed herself out of her friend's embrace, managing to keep her balance this time. "I-I know, Nick. But I'm the one who dragged you here and I can't even keep my balance for two seconds."

Phoenix smiled at the woman and took ahold of her hand, causing her face to turn a deep crimson. "C'mon," Phoenix said. "I'll help you. And don't worry, I won't let you fall." With that, he slowly began to skate forward, Maya following carefully behind, their hands still linked together.

Maya smiled softly, her blush still not fading. "I know, Nick. You've never let me fall before."


	21. Hesitation

**A/N: Another two going out to JordanPhoenix, who requested the prompts Hesitation/Uncertainty and Unrequited. I hope you enjoy em, JP! And remember, everybody, I am accepting requests, so don't be shy if you have any ideas!**

* * *

Edgeworth stood in front of the foreboding doors. The doors to that which had plagued his nightmares for years.

 _This is ludicrous! Who ever heard of a hospital's stairwell being closed?!_

The doors opened wide and a flood of people stepped as another flood stepped in, no doubt heading to visit loved ones of their own. The doors closed once again as Edgeworth continued to stand there, tapping his forefinger against his bicep.

"Mr. Edgeworth! Sir!" Cried a gruff voice from behind the silver haired man.

Edgeworth turned on his heels to see his former partner, Detective Dick Gumshoe. The scruffy man rushed to his former boss's side.

"Mr. Edgeworth! I just got your message. Is it really time."

"Er, y-yes. Indeed, Detective. Franziska is upstairs as we speak." Edgeworth stuttered out.

"That's great, sir! I'm so happy for ya!" The man said, chuckling to himself as he often did. He then put on a slightly more serious face. "But, uh, if she's up there, what are you doin' down here, sir?"

Edgeworth looked frazzled. "Er, w-well, y-y-you see…"

"C'mon, sir! Let's go take the stairs! I know how ya hate elevators." The detective then turned to head for the stairwell.

"The stairwell is closed, Detective!"

Gumshoe quickly turned back to face the Chief Prosecutor. "What was that, sir?"

Edgeworth clutched his arm and stared at the polished floor. "The stairwell… It's closed. And so, the only way to reach the floor that Franziska is on…"

"Oh… I get it now… Well what the heck are ya waitin' for!?"

Edgeworth looked at the normally calm detective to see an almost _angry_ look on his face. "D-detective?"

"Your wife is up there havin' your kid, and you can't even get on a lousy elevator!? Some father you're gonna be, sir!"

Edgeworth was dumbfounded. In all the years he'd known the airheaded detective, he'd never heard the man speak to anyone, let alone _himself_ in such a way. And it pissed Edgeworth off.

The normally cool-headed Chief Prosecutor gritted his teeth and shouted at the detective. "You dare question my abilities as a father over a damn elevator!? I'll show you!"

At this, the elevator returned and opened again. Edgeworth didn't hesitate even a moment before rushing inside and practically punching the button.

Gumshoe continued to look as the doors closed and carried his friend away.

 _That man's gonna make a hell of a dad._


	22. Unrequited

Larry stood in front of the door to the Wright and Co. Law Offices. He'd been here many times before, but never with the same intentions he had today. He swallowed the lump in his throat and fiddled with the two pieces of paper he held behind his back.

 _C'mon, Butz! You've asked a hundred different girls to a hundred different shows like this. Why ya turning to Jell-o over this one!?_

He took a deep breath and finally brought his hand up and knocked on the door. To his relief, exactly who he was looking for opened the door.

"Oh, Larry! How's it going?" Maya said, smiling her usual cheery smile. It made Larry's heart flutter.

"Hey there, Maya-baby! Lookin' good as always!" _So far so good!_

Maya let out a cute giggle. "Oh, Larry, you're such a suck up. What'd you do? I'm sure Nick will defend you without having to butter us up."

Larry put on his famous crooked grin. "Nah, I didn't get in any trouble this time. And I don't need to talk to Nick, either. I wanted to talk to you."

Maya looked shocked at this, jumping back in her usual manner. "Huh? Me? What about?"

 _Alright, Butz-head, it's now or never._ The orange clad man squeezed the two tickets behind his back. "Well, it's just. There's a-"

"Maya, are you ready to go?" Phoenix suddenly appeared in the doorway. His eyes widened when he caught sight of Larry. "Larry? *sigh* What'd you do this time."

Larry began to bear his fangs. "Why do you always act like I did something!?"

"Because you usually did!"

Maya cut in. "Nick, he said he didn't do anything. I believe him for once." She then turned her attention back to Larry. "Look, Larry, Nick and I have plans to go see the Steel Samurai on Ice. Can you make your question quick."

Larry's heart sank. "Oh, uh, I-I was just wondering if … You knew what time it was."

Both Phoenix and Maya sighed.

"Larry," Phoenix said. "You came all the way here to ask the time? It's 8:35."

"Yeah, which means we need to get moving, Nick!" Maya quickly hooked her arms through Phoenix's and began to drag him down the hall, Phoenix barely had time to close the door to the office behind him. Maya glanced over her shoulder. "See ya later, Larry!" And just like that, they were gone.

Larry quickly pulled the two Steel Samurai on Ice tickets out from behind his back and tore them into pieces, tossing them onto the floor before storming out of the building, heading for whichever bar happened to be closest.


	23. Roleplaying

"Athena, I feel ridiculous." Apollo said, fiddling with the torn up vest he wore, which exposed his bare chest.

"Oh c'mon, Apollo! Just have some fun with it. Nothing wrong with a little roleplaying." Athena replied from in the bathroom as she was changing into her outfit.

"I understand that," He said, sitting on the bed as he lifted up his eyepatch and rubbed at his eye. "But why pirates? Is it just an excuse to get me to wear an eyepatch?"

"You'll be singing a different tune when you see my outfit." Apollo could swear he somehow _heard_ is girlfriend winking after that sentence.

Apollo sighed and laid down on the bed. "Well, at least one of us will be pleased with what we see."

"Apollo, don't be like that! You're outfit is adorable. I especially love the bandanna on the head look for you."

"My hair sure doesn't agree with it."

Athena groaned. "Must you complain about everything? You're hair's gonna be messed up when I'm done with you anyway."

Apollo smiled to himself. _Well, she's not wrong there._

"Alright, I'm ready!"

Apollo leaned up to look at Athena's outfit. And his jaw nearly hit the floor.

The young beauty had pulled her hair out of its trademark side ponytail, allowing her long orange hair to flow down her back. Her shirt could really only be described as a tube top, covered with blue and white striped. She also wore tattered shorts with a blue sash at the waist. She was absolutely breathtaking.

"Well, whaddya think, matey?"

Apollo stood and strode over to the woman, taking her face in his hands and planting a passionate kiss on her lips. When the two finally parted, he looked deep into her eyes and spoke.

"I think I'm ready to plunder that booty, me bucko."


	24. Drinking

**A/N: This one goes out to reader Seedfall, who reqeusted a little LarryXAdrian. I actually enjoyed writing this one, so I may very well write another involving these two later on.**

* * *

Larry sat at the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Taking a sip of the liquid, he grimaced. He was really much more of a wine guy.

 _Man, who was I kidding? Doesn't take a genius to see Nick and Maya are meant for each other like peanut butter and jelly. Like Romeo and Juliet. Like… Two things that go together._

The man was so lost in his own world, he barely took notice when someone walked up beside him. They tapped him on the shoulder. Larry turned to view the person, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

Standing before him was perhaps the most ravishing beauty he'd ever seen. Short blonde hair, thin glasses on her face. Not to mention the sleeveless black turtleneck, a garment that he'd always fancied on a woman.

"Excuse me, sir. Is this seat taken?" Her angelic voice asked, as she pointed to the barstool next to him.

Realizing that he was borderline drooling, Larry composed himself and answered. "Oh, uh, n-no. It's free. Take a seat."

Smiling, she thanked him and took the seat. "Bartender, double shot of Jack on the rocks, if you would."

"Double, huh? Rough day?" Larry asked.

The woman sighed. "That's an understatement."

"Really, what's got ya down? Musta been somethin' pretty heavy to bring ya to a place like this."

The bartender handed her the drink and she quickly took a sip, grimacing. "Blech, more of a red wine girl." She said to herself before turning back to Larry. "Oh, nothing much. I just watched a girl I care deeply for run off with someone else, whom I know I can't compete with."

Larry almost laughed at the irony. "You too, huh? Sounds like we're kindred spirits."

The woman smiled. "Seems that way, doesn't it? And we chose the same coping mechanism, it seems."

Waving to get the bartenders attention, Larry called out. "Yo, barkeep, two shots of Fireball over here for me and the lady." The bartender quickly made the drinks and set them down. Larry handed one to the woman. "How about a drink? To two losers."

Giggling, the woman took the shot glass and the two toasted before downing the shots. They both coughed and sputtered as the burning liquid slid down their throats.

"Oh BOY does that burn!" The woman cried.

Still coughing, Larry spoke. "Yeah. Helps distract from the real pain, if ya ask me."

The woman waved at the bartender. "Bartender! Another round!"

"You serious?" Larry asked, still composing himself from the last drink.

Turning and smiling at him, the woman spoke. "Of course. Helps distract from the real pain, right?"

Larry smirked as the bartender set their drinks down. Before clinking their glasses together, Larry asked her a question.

"So, what's my new friend's name, might I ask?"

She gave him another smile and answered before downing the shot. "Adrian. Adrian Andrews."


	25. Parallel

Adrian stood before the imposing door in the prosecutor's office. She'd never felt quite this nervous before. Indeed, she and Franziska had spent much time together as of late, but to admit to these feelings? It filled her with dread. But she had told herself that morning that it would be today. Not to mention, she had it in her planner. And to go against the planner? Inconceivable!

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she brought her hand to the door and knocked.

"You may enter." Said the voice from inside.

Taking in several deep breaths, Adrian turned the doorknob and entered the office. Upon her entrance, the platinum haired woman at the desk looked at her. "Oh, Ms. Andrews. A pleasure. To what do I owe the honor?"

Stepped toward the desk, her heels clicking with each stepped. "Adrian spoke. "Good evening, Ms. Von Karma. I certainly hope I'm not intruding on anything, arriving unannounced."

Franziska propped elbows on her desk and wagged her finger at the woman. "Nonsense, Ms. Andrews. You are not interrupting anything of great importance. Now, tell me, why are you here?"

Adrian mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. "Well, Ms. Von Karma. I wished to ask you a question."

"And what question would that be?"

 _Now or never, Adrian. Don't screw this up!_ "I was wondering if-"

Suddenly a knock came at the door before it creaked open and a new figure stepped inside.

Stepping up to the desk, Miles Edgeworth spoke. "Franziska, are you ready?"

Sighing, Franziska rolled her eyes at the man. "Honestly, Miles Edgeworth, I cannot comprehend your infatuation with this drivel." She then returned her gaze to Adrian. "Forgive me, Ms. Andrews. I may have been exaggerating slightly before. I do have plans, however, the importance of them is up for much debate."

"Oh? A-and what are your plans, if you don't mind my asking."

"Hmph," Franziska crossed her arms in front of her chest and closed her eyes. "I suppose you can call this children's show on ice a date, or sorts."

Adrian's heart sank as Edgeworth spoke up. "My dear, the Steel Samurai on Ice is hardly a mere children's show. It has won several awards, for its choreography as well as its story."

Franziska sighed, ignoring the man and returning her attention to Adrian. "I'm afraid I must cut this conversation short, Ms. Andrews. What was it that you wished to ask?"

"Huh? Oh!" Adrian racked her brain for an excuse. "Uh, w-well. My… My watch! My watch is broken. I was wondering if you could tell me the time?"

Franziska rolled her eyes. "That is all? A foolishly foolish question. It is 8:05."

"Indeed," Edgeworth interjected. "Which means we must make haste if we are to be on time, my dear."

Standing from her desk, Franziska walked next to the man hooked her arm through his. "Honestly, Miles Edgeworth, your impatience knows no bounds." She glanced over her shoulder. "Ms. Andrews, could you please be a dear and lock up my office?"

"Oh, uh, yes. Of course, Ms. Von Karma."

And then the two were gone. Adrian quickly locked up the office and decided to continue going along with her planner.

Her next stop: The nearest bar.


	26. Crossover

Pearl huddled underneath the tree, sobbing softly.

"M-Mystic Maya. Mr. Nick. Where did you go?" She asked herself.

Waves of people passed by her, not stopping to ask what was wrong, or if she needed help. Pearl felt scared. Scared and alone.

She hugged her legs close and buried her head into her knees, continuing to sob. She didn't even notice when light footsteps made there to her.

"Excuse me, miss?" Said a voice in a strange accent Pearl had never heard before.

She looked up at who spoke and was greeted by a boy in a blue sweater, worn over a white shirt. His head was topped with a blue paperboy's hat and he carried a bag at his side. His face was very plain, but he had a look of concern on.

"Miss, are you in some sort of trouble? I couldn't help but take notice of you over here?" He said, again with that strange accent.

Pearl struggled to find her voice. When she finally spoke, all she could manage to say was, "M-Mystic Maya…"

"Eh? Mystic Maya? I'm not sure I understand." The boy said, putting his hand to his chin.

Pearl spoke again, managing to choke out more in between her sobs. "I-I can't find… Mystic Maya."

"Oh, you can't find someone, eh? So your lost then?"

Pearl nodded, wiping her tears.

The boy then suddenly put his finger in the air. "Well don't you worry, miss! I'll help you!"

Pearl gasped. "Y-you'll help me find Mystic Maya?"

The boy nodded. "Of course. After all, it's the duty of every gentleman to help a lady in distress."

Pearl looked confused. "What's a… gen-teel-man?"

The boy reached out a hand to Pearl. "It's someone who always does what's right. And right now, that's helping you find Mystic Maya, isn't it?"

Pearl finally smiled, for the first time in what felt like ages, before taking the boy's hand who pulled her form the ground.

"Thanks mister… Um, What's your name, mister?"

"Oh, my apologies. I should have introduced myself." He tipped his hat to Pearl. "I'm Luke. Luke Triton!"


	27. Thanksgiving

Phoenix rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, sighing when he saw his wife, Maya Fey-Wright, standing in front of the stove, stirring one thing or another. He crept up behind the woman and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hasn't the doctor told you that you need to stay off your feet?" He said, resting his head on her shoulder.

Shifting her eyes for a moment, Maya smiled. "He has, but isn't it traditionally the wife who cooks Thanksgiving dinner?"

"It is. But exceptions can be made, my dear." He slid his hand over her protruding belly. "You certainly haven't been using little Mia here to get out of enough."

"Mr. Wright," Maya said, placing her wooden spoon in the pot of gravy she was stirring and turning around to face her husband. "I am offended that you think I would use my unborn daughter to get out of doing things I don't want to do."

Phoenix smiled and took hold of her hand, placing a kiss on the back of it. "Be that as it may, Mrs. Wright, I believe you have earned yourself a rest. I have the Thanksgiving special of the Steel Samurai loaded on the TV and Pearls and Luke should be here shortly. And I know how much you like to torment Mr. Triton with that asinine show."

Maya smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "You know me so well." She pulled from the embrace and took off her apron, handing it to the man. "The turkey should be done in a few minutes. Just keep stirring the gravy until then."

Phoenix sighed as he tied the apron around his waist. "Yes, dear."

With that, Maya waddled to the living room, leaving Phoenix alone with his thoughts.

 _A loving wife, two beautiful daughters, and a third one on the way… What_ don't _I have to be thankful for?_


	28. Date

Gumshoe stood in front of the apartment door. He'd looked murderers, drug dealers, and just plain psychopaths in the face. But none of that, None, terrified him as much as what was to come in the next several minutes.

 _What the heck are ya waitin' for? Just knock on the door! She's already expectin' ya!_

Sucking in several deep breaths and looking his outfit (He'd worn his GOOD only a small mustard stain on the back) he finally raised up his hand on knocked on the door.

Barking was heard from inside the apartment, followed by Maggey's voice. "Gordy, stop it! Down boy!' A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Maggey Byrde, decked out in her usual outfit that she wore as the security at the Prosecutor's office. "Detective Gumshoe, sir! It's good to see you."

Still shaking in his boots and fiddling with the gift behind his back, he responded. "H-hey there, Maggey! Ya ready to go?"

Maggey stepped out and closed the door behind her, locking it. "I sure am, sir! What did you have in mind for tonight?"

"Uh, well, I been savin' a few of my paychecks, so I thought we could really splurge and go to that noodle stand in the park!"

Maggey giggled. "Well then we should get going then."

"Y-yeah… Oh! Maggey, hold up! I almost forgot, I brought these for you." Gumshoe said as he pulled his arm from behind his back and offered the gift to her.

"Uh, sir, why are you giving me a bundle of extension cords?"

"Huh?" Gumshoe looked at his hand, and indeed, instead of the flowers he'd purchased earlier, he was holding a tangled bundle of extension cords. "Ack! I musta grabbed these by mistake when I left my place."

Maggey giggled again. "I appreciate the thought, sir." She then hooked her arm through the scruffy man's. "Now c'mon! Those noodles aren't getting any closer to our bellies standing here!"


	29. Number

Larry began to stir, his head throbbing something fierce.

 _Note to self: Fireball bad._

He leaned up in his bed and brought a hand to his forehead to try and ease the pain as the events of last night came back to him. Getting the cold shoulder from Maya, heading to the bar to forget about it, meeting that cutie Adrian…

 _Crap! Did I get her number? I can't remember! I don't even know how I got home!_

Rummaging through his pockets, he was disappointed to find no pieces of paper. He looked through his phone for several minutes, trying to see if perhaps she'd saved it somewhere. He even looked over his body to make sure she hadn't written it somewhere on him. Nothing.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he drug himself out of bed and headed for the bathroom for some aspirin and a shower. Before he opened the medicine cabinet however, he took notice of something in the mirror. Leaning in closer to get a better look, he read the words written on his forehead.

Call me

Adrian

The name was then followed by seven glorious numbers. Larry grinned and jumped for joy, quickly whipping out his phone and saving the number. Even he wasn't stupid enough to shower before committing this number to memory.


	30. Rescue

**A/N: These next two are the short continuations I mentioned when midway through The Cave of Two Lawyers. For those of you that haven't read the story, I'd suggest either reading it or skipping these next two, because otherwise they'll go way over your head.**

 **By the way, I have been suffering from some writer's block as far as these drabbles concern. So if any of you guys have any suggestions, I would be more than glad to hear them!**

* * *

"You're dreamin'! The Steel Samurai is so much better than the Jammin' Ninja!"

"Nu-uh! The Jammin' Ninja is the best! He can fight AND he can sing!"

Gumshoe was arguing with the young redheaded girl on his shoulders. They'd been travelling through the caverns for about an hour and a half at this point, and Gumshoe was certain they would find the exit soon.

"Mr. Gummy, look!" Athena cried, pointing forward. Ahead of them, flashing blue and red lights were casting light on the cave walls. The young girl's ears were also picking up the voices of many other people. And among them…

"I can hear mommy!" She cried.

"Is that so, pal? Well we shouldn't keep her waitin'!" With that, Gumshoe shifted into overdrive and rushed toward the exit, Athena giggling all the way.

The two emerged from the cave to a round of cheers as the rescue crews and bystanders looked on, realizing that the young girl that had caused such a panic was safe.

"Athena!" Metis Cykes rushed out of the crowd and toward the burly detective.

"Mommy!" Athena cried as she hopped down from Gumshoe's shoulders and was immediately enveloped in a hug from her mother.

"Oh, Athena. You had me so worried." Metis said, pulling off her lab coat and wrapping it around her daughter.

Athena looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, mommy. I just wanted to see the secrets of the universe with Uncle Yuri." She then turned around and grabbed Gumshoe's hand. "But I made a new friend, mommy!"

Metis smiled at her daughter and stood to greet Gumshoe. "Is that so? And what's this new friend's name?"

Gumshoe smiled at the woman. "Name's Gumshoe, pal! Dick Gumshoe!" He said with a salute.

"Well, Mr. Gumshoe, I can't thank you enough for finding my daughter." She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You have my eternal gratitude."

The burly man stood there frozen for a moment before Metis pulled away and turned her attention back to Athena, grabbing her hand. "Come now, Athena. Let's get you home."

Suddenly, an older man burst from the crowd and rushed forward. "Athena!"

"Huh?" Athena turned in the direction of the voice to see Yuri Cosmos, his hand wrapped in gauze, rushing toward her. "Uncle Yuri!"

Before Cosmos could reach the young girl, Metis stepped between them and glared daggers at the man, freezing him in place. "That's far enough, Director."

"M-Metis… I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to-" The aging director tripped over his words.

"I believe you've done quite enough for one day, director. And I would appreciate it if you would keep your distance from my daughter from now on." Metis said before turning around and pulling Athena along, heading back to the bus that had brought them to the nature preserve.

Director Cosmos looked on sadly as the Cykes walked away from him, Athena glancing over her shoulder every now and again.


	31. Reunion

Athena stood at the entrance of the Cosmos Space Center. She'd felt so determined on her way there, but now that she was here, her courage had left her.

 _I haven't seen him in so long. What if he doesn't want to see me?_

She shook these thoughts away. She came here to rekindle an old friendship. And she was damn well going through it.

Apollo had offered to join her, but she insisted that she would be fine. Now she wasn't so sure.

"I'll be fine." She said to herself, having grown accustomed to using her boyfriend's mantra. "I'll be fine."

Finally, she moved her feet and entered the building, making a beeline for the reception desk.

"Hello," said the young girl behind the counter. "Welcome to the Cosmos Space Center. Is there something I can help you with."

"Y-yeah. I was hoping I could see direc- er, I mean assistant director Cosmos." Athena said.

"The assistant director? Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, n-no. I'm an old friend of his. My name is Athena Cykes."

The receptionist's eyes grew large as she said this. "Athena CYKES? Just a moment." She picked up a phone and punched in a few numbers. "Assistant director Cosmos? You have a visitor… Her name is Athena Cykes… Yes, of course, sir." She then hung up the phone and looked back at Athena/ "He says he is a bit busy, but that he can make a little time. His office-"

"I know where it is." Athena said before walking straight to the man's office. Once she reached the door, she felt herself lose her nerve again. But she sucked in a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door slid open to reveal Yuri Cosmos, riding his trademark Segway.

"Ah, Miss Cykes. What brings you here?"

Athena swallowed the lump in her throat. "Hello, Mr. Cosmos. It's been a while, huh?"

Cosmos plucked at his moustache. "It certainly has. It seems like it's been years since you left to stufy abroad."

"Uh, i-it has been years."

"Hm? Oh, yes, it has been, hasn't it? Why don't you come in? Have a seat! I'm rather busy, but I can certainly make time for idle chatter."

"Uh, s-sure." Athena said before entering the office. It hadn't changed much since the last time she'd seen it. The room was a mess, with papers all over the place and all of the furniture, chairs, desks, tables, even lamps, was space themed. Athena took a seat on the lunar rover love.

"I heard about your recent predicament in the mountains. That must have been quite the adventure." Cosmos said, riding over to his desk.

Athena was glad that he was the first to mention it. "Yeah. It was pretty crazy." She clasped her hands together and looked at the floor. "That's… Actually why I'm here."

Cosmos looked at her with bewilderment.

"Being stuck in that cave… It reminded me of what happened years ago. You remember? When I got lost in the caves at that nature preserve."

Cosmos had his back turned to the woman. "Ah yes, I certainly remember that day. So you came here to reminisce about the failures of an old explorer of the unkown."

Athena looked at him. "No! Exactly the opposite. I remember… After that day, you and I drifted apart. I wanted to fix that. We used to be so close."

Cosmos remained silent. "I remember as well, Miss Cykes. Your mother wished for me to keep my distance. And I did, fearing what would happen if I failed you again."

Athena stood from the love seat and stepped towards the man. "But I can take of myself now! You don't have to worry about anything like that."

Cosmos stayed silent and Athena took the hint. She turned leave, but froze in her tracks before reaching the door.

"Athena, are you busy right now?"

Athena turned back to look at Cosmos, who still had his back turned to her.

"Uh, no. I came here to talk to you since I had the day off."

Cosmos finally turned around. "Then would you care to join me for lunch? That little diner across the street is still open. I remember how much you loved that place when you were younger."

Athena smiled softly. "I'd love to."

"Very well then. Off we go! …Cadet."


	32. Gentleman

Apollo walked through the streets of the city, heading through People Park to reach his apartment. The light drizzle from the afternoon had become a full on downpour. Luckily, he'd had the foresight to bring am umbrella to work.

Suddenly, from behind him, a familiar voice called out his name. He turned around to see Athena, using her yellow jacket as a makeshift umbrella, sprinting towards him.

"Hey Athena- what's u- whoa, hey!" He said as Athena scooted in close next to him underneath the umbrella.

"Just keep walking. The wind stole my umbrella." The young redhead replied as she began to wring out her long ponytail.

Apollo sighed and simply did was he was told, knowing now that he would have to make a detour for the sake of his junior co-worker.

The two walked in relative silence as they walked through the park, eventually reaching Athena's apartment. Apollo walked her to the door as she fumbled for her keys. Sliding the key into the lock and turning, she turned back to Apollo and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for being such a gentleman." She then turned around and entered her apartment, leaving Apollo, his hand on his cheek where he'd been kissed, standing speechless, his face turning a shade redder than a tomato.


	33. Warrior

"Father, are you certain you are up to this?" Jinxie asked, handing her father his beloved mask.

Damian Tenma took the mask from his young daughter. "What's this? Even you are doubting me, Jinxie?"

Jinxie clutched a handful of charms to her chest. "No! You are the best there is, father! It's just… This man is almost as legendary as you are. Do you truly wish to sully his reputation?"

Damian smirked before putting his mask on. "Worry not, daughter. I shall make sure that he leaves the ring with some honor still intact. Now, you should hurry along and get to your seat. The match is about to begin!"

Jinxie nodded and exited the dressing room, heading for her reserved seat, ringside.

Damian waited for his cue, rushing towards the ring and performing a high backflip as the announcer called his name.

"But our beloved Nine-Tails better watch out. There's a new warrior in town…"

"AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA!"


	34. Reversal

Larry's thumb hovered over the call button, his hands shaking worse than the Chihuahua he had in the third grade.

 _C'mon, Butz! You already waited two days. Calling her now won't seem creepy… But man, a girl like that? She's in a league all her own!_

He'd spent the last two days thinking about Adrian, the ravishing beauty he'd met at the bar after his failed attempt at asking Maya out. The fact that the woman spoke to him even while drunk astonished him. One look at her told him she was one of classy types. One of the ones that enjoy fine French cuisine and wine tastings. Meanwhile, Larry's idea of a good evening involved the latest shooting game and pants optional attire!

He fully expected a resounding 'no' to any type of date he asked her on, yet he was determined. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his thumb down… Just as the phone's screen changed to show that he was receiving a call!

"Yikes!" Not wanting to be the type of guy that hangs up just because of a mistake, he put the phone to his. "Hello?"

"Hello. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

 _Oh great, probably a telemarketer. Though she sounds cute._ "Uh, Larry. Larry Butz."

"Oh, good. The number you gave me was right. It's Adrian, by the way. We met at the bar the other day."

Larry's face shrank, his pupil's basically becoming dots. "Oh, h-hey." He managed to squeak out. "How's it going?"

"Oh, it's been a fine day. But, I was thinking perhaps it could be better. Are you busy tonight?"

 _She's asking ME out! Repeat! SHE is asking ME out. This is not a drill! Play it cool._

"Uh, tonight? Nope! No plans tonight!" He mentally chastised himself for sounding too eager.

"Would you perhaps like to join me for dinner? I recently caught wind of a new French restaurant. Tres Bien, I believe it's called."

Larry began to glance around his shabby apartment, wondering how much he could pawn off and still manage a decent living.

"Y-yeah! That sounds awesome."

"Very good then. Meet me in People Park at 8. Oh, and Larry?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, what is it?"

He heard Adrian let out an angelic giggle. "Don't worry about the money. Consider this my way of paying you back for my drinks."


	35. Breakfast

Apollo pulled himself from his deep slumber. He glanced next to him and was shocked to see his wife of two years, Athena Justice, still slumbering next him.

 _That's odd. At this hour she's usually out for her morning run… Now that I think about it, I don't think I count my blessings often enough that she doesn't force me to tag along anymore._

Deciding to let the woman enjoy a another hour or so of sleep, he climbed from the bed and headed for the kitchen, planning to cook up some blueberry pancakes. Of course using the recipe he'd learned from his boss.

About an hour later, Athena wandered into the kitchen, ignoring her husband and making a beeline for the coffee machine. Apollo sipped his own coffee and looked away. His tiger bared her fangs when disturbed before her morning coffee.

Once she'd downed her first cup, (in 3 minutes no less. Not a personal best, but still admirable) Apollo felt it was safe to speak. So, up a bit late today, eh Tiger."

Athena dug into her pancakes. "Yeah, couldn't really motivate myself to get out of bed so early today."

"Really? Feeling a bit under the weather?"

Athena shook her head, swallowing her breakfast. "No, I feel perfect! More than perfect, actually!"

Apollo looked at her quizzically. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Athena smiled mischievously. "Well, you remember how I had a doctor's appointment yesterday."

Apollo simply nodded.

"Well, he had some very good news for me."

Her horned husband finshed off his own coffee. "Oh? And do you plan to share this good news? You seemed pretty hush hush about your appointment yesterday."

Athena grinned. "That's because I need to deliver this news in a manner befitting a Justice."

Apollo quirked an eyebrow as Athena stood from her chair and balled her hands into fists. She closed her eyes and, at the top of her lungs, shouted…

"I'm Athena Justice and I'm pregnant!"


	36. Goodbye

The metal contraption activated and slammed shut around Maya.

Maya's eyes began to fill with tears as she felt the cage being lowered toward the pit of fire. She banged her fists against the metal. "No! Let me out! Let me out!"

She knew it was fruitless. No one could hear her. Not through metal this thick. The tears fell from her face.

 _I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die… Nick, please, help!_

A few more seconds passed and Maya's hope faded. Through her sobs, she actually formed a smile. And even let out a very light chuckle.

 _I guess expecting Nick to fight through a bunch of knights is a bit much. Sis… I'll see you soon._

As she resigned herself to her fate, she closed her eyes tight and spoke her final words.

"Goodbye, Nick… I love you."


	37. Snack Time

Ema rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the sleep as she walked into the mini-mart.

 _I really need to cut back on the all night cram sessions._

The young girl had a very important exam today and had been up most of the night studying. Now, all her energy spent, she'd stopped by the nearby mini-mart to load up on a sugary energy drink before she crashed. Grabbing a can of Blue Bull, she made her way to the counter.

"Will there be anything else, ma'am?" The cashier asked.

 _Come to think of it, I could use a snack too._ The young college students eyes darted around, searching for a nearby snack food. Her eyes stopped on one bag in particular.

 _Snackoos, huh? Scientifically speaking, not a very good name, but it's chocolate, so certainly it can't be bad._

Ema paid for her items and walked out the door, heading for her class. On her way, she tore open her bag of Snackoos and pulled one out, examining it.

 _Not a very pretty snack either. It better pass the taste test._

She quickly popped the chocolate snack in her mouth and chewed.

Swallowing the snack, her pupils dilated, her heart began to her race, and her whole body began to tingle.

 _This…. This is heaven._


	38. Coffee

Mia stared down at the steaming cup in front of her.

 _He… He's dead. The defendant of my first trial is dead._

"Ah, cheer up, kitten." Said a deep voice with a slight Hispanic accent to it.

Mia looked up at her co-worker, Diego Armando. The dark skinned man gave her his best smile.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Diego, as well as the coffee, but I don't think cheering up is something I can do right now."

Diego took a long gulp of his coffee before speaking again. "You already forget what I told you? The worst of times are when lawyers have to force their biggest smiles."

"And how exactly am I supposed to smile? Mr. Fawles is dead and his killer is running free… Maybe I'm not cut out for this lawyer business."

Diego suddenly slammed his coffee cup onto the table, sending the liquid flying into the air, yet not spilling a drop. "Don't even start talking like that, kitten. Yeah, the guy's dead. But you did the best you could. No one can fault you for that."

"But Diego-" Mia was quickly cut off.

"Kitten, life can be a lot like coffee."

Mia sighed. "Another of your coffee philosophies? I'll humor you. How is life like coffee?"

Diego smirked. "It can be pretty bitter. Not to everyone's liking." He reached for a packet of sugar on the table, something Mia never thought she'd see him touch. "But, if you do it just right." He tore open the packet and poured half of it into Mia's cup. "You can make it nice and sweet."


	39. Weapons

**A/N: I am a die-hard Edgeworth/Franziska shipper, but in this one, I decided to try my hand at something a bit more out there that I don't ship. My idea? Why putting two characters together that would probably level a small building with their wild romps!**

* * *

"Hmph," Simon Blackquill huffed. "This is a fool's weapon." He said as he attempted lash out with the whip in his hands. The long leather weapon ignored his desires and flew from his hands, very nearly hitting Taka on his perch.

"As if you are one to talk. This over exaggerated butter knife is not even worthy of being held by a von Karma!" Franziska said as she attempted to slice the watermelon on the stand before her with the katana. However, she struck the fruit with the flat edge of the sword, causing her to drop the weapon, which fell to the floor with a clank.

"The blade is not to be insulted, von Karma-dono." Blackquill said, picking up his trusty blade and taking his battle stance. "For if one is not careful." His hand moved lightning quick, and in a split second, the watermelon was cut into six even slices. "They will be cut down before they have a moment to speak.

"Yes, and the whip should not be trifled with either, you fool of a samurai." Franziska said, picking up her whip. "For if a fool is caught off guard." She lashed out with her whip, slinging it behind Blackquill's neck and catching the end of it with her other hand. She pulled the man close to her. "They can find them self in a very compromising position." Before Blackquill had even a moment to ponder the situation, Franziska took advantage of his confusion and pressed her lips to his.


	40. History

Maya's unwavering gaze was locked on the older woman just beyond the glass.

"So that's it, huh? This will be the last time I ever see you alive, and you're okay with that being the last thing you ever say to me?"

Morgan sipped on her ever present mug of questionable liquid. "Indeed, Mystic Maya. As my hours left on this earth are dwindling, I have only time to say what I mean. And I mean it when I say that you are still unfit to be Master."

Maya balled her hands into fists. "And so after all these years, you still can't say that you feel any remorse whatsoever. For trying to frame me and trying to have me killed."

Morgan dabbed at her lips with the sleeve of her kimono. "Has it truly taken this long for that to sink in? You're simply proving my point all the more. Had my plans succeeded, Kurain would be in far better hands."

"But why!?" Maya finally snapped. "Why does it have to be like this, Aunt Morgan!? Why does our family history have to be written in blood!?"

Morgan kept her composure and took another sip from her mug. "Whatever our history is written in matters not. What matters is the story that it tells. And your story, Mystic Maya, will be a legacy of failure. Just like your mother's."

Maya had finally had enough and stood from the detention center chair. "You can believe that all you want." She then reached into her robe and pulled out a handcrafted card. "I refused to bring Pearly with me today, for obvious reasons, but she wanted me to give you this." She slid the card through the tiny slot in the glass before turning and leaving. "Goodbye, Aunt Morgan. Tell that she-devil daughter of yours that my sis says hello when you meet her tomorrow."

Morgan picked up the card and read it, her facial expression not changing in the slightest.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!  
Love, Pearl


	41. Addiction

**A/N: This one is being used to call attention to a current struggle of mine. I'm battling a crippling Xenoblade Chronicles X addiction!**

* * *

Athena stared dead-eyed at the TV screen, cans of various energy drinks strew across the floor, as her fingers danced across the controller.

Apollo looked at his girlfriend with concern. She'd been like this ever since that game came out. She'd even called in at the Agency the past few days. "Uh, Athena, don't you think it's time to take a break?"

Athena lazily shook her head. "No. Must. Defeat. Aliens. Save. Mira."

Apollo sighed. He never realized dating a geek would be so tiresome. He'd hardly had any sleep himself, as she refused to turn down the volume.

Suddenly, lightning cracked outside, and the electricity went out for two seconds. Apollo feared for his life, expecting Athena to launch her controller across the room. But as the lights came back on, he looked at the girl on the couch. She remained motionless for a moment before collapsing to one side in absolute exhaustion.

Apollo breathed a sigh of relief and stepped up to couch, pulling a blanket across the girl's sleeping form.


	42. Apologies

**A/N: I would like to use this chapter to not only add to this series, but also call attention to something that's been happening on the site, with me at the center.**  
 **Recently a certain user has brought to my attention that some of my stories bear a striking resemblance to the stories of a talented writer on this site, whom I will I not name here to avoid raising more problems. But, rest assured, she knows very well who she is. This having been brought to my attention, I would like to address it directly for all to see.**  
 **Looking over the accusations, I can see a few good points being made. However, I would like to say that it has NEVER been my intention to steal ideas from another writer. I do enjoy this author's work, as she is probably my favorite writer on this site, as well as a person to whom I owe a debt of gratitude to for all the advice she has given me since my earliest days on this site. I have spoken with this author myself about this issue. She cannot deny that she sees the similarities. However, rather than being angry, she only said that she is disappointed. I am as well. As I said, I did not use these ideas with the thought in my head of "Alright, how can I rip off this author today?" I have a great deal of respect for this author. But I cannot deny that the similarities are there.**  
 **I also offered to issue an apology to her right here, in my drabbles. However, she refused. She said she would not want, nor expect an apology, simply recognition from any inspiration she may have brought forth. She also said that there is a group to whom I do owe an apology; You. The readers. And so, I do just that. To all of you, I extend my sincerest apologies. Not simply for using the ideas of another person. Inadvertently or not, I feel I've insulted you all. I did not come to this site wanting to alienate readers or become the subject of any controversy. I came here to share my ideas with a fandom I adore. I'm fully aware that my writing skills are nothing special. I use tired old phrases over and over again, and sometimes I bore myself with my writing. But I had ideas I wanted to share with you all. And I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received on my first two stories, Vacation in Kurain and Turnabout Delivery. If you all are satisfied with what I bring to the table in my stories, that makes me happier than you could possibly imagine. But when I'm being told that I'm stealing the ideas of another, I can only assume that means you're disappointed in me and my work. And that in turn disappoints me. So, to all of my readers; The ones who have been here from the beginning, the ones who are just now finding my work, and to those who are here simply to point out my mistakes, I extend my sincerest apologies. I can't fix the mistakes of the past, however, I can swear that I will work to better myself in the future and bring you my own, original ideas.**

 ***sigh* Now that that's out of the way, let's move onto the actual chapter itself, however short it may be.**

* * *

Phoenix, dressed in his brand new suit (Which had been purchased for him by Maya, to replace his old wine stained old one) rushed down the sidewalk at breakneck speeds.

 _Damnit! Figures I sleep in on the one day I absolutely CANNOT afford to do so!_ He thought to himself.

As he continued to sprint to his destination, the man wasn't paying nearly enough attention as he bounded around a corner on the sidewalk… And plowed directly into an innocent bystander.

"Whoooooooa!" Phoenix cried as he tumbled forward, pulling his victim down with him. He pulled himself up from the concrete and rubbed his forehead. _Oh boy, that smarts._ He thought to himself. He quickly pulled himself up from the ground and turned to the person whim he'd bowled over. Extending a hand to them, he spoke. "Hey, sorry about that. I'm kinda in a rush."

The person accepted Phoenix hand and spoke. "Apology accepted, Herr Wright."

"Huh?" Phoenix finally looked at the person he'd crashed into to see none other than Klavier Gavin. He quickly pulled the German man to his feet. "Oh, prosecutor Gavin. Fancy bumping into you here… Literally."

"Ja, imagine that. Where are you off to in such a hurry today?" Gavin asked.

Phoenix put on a smirk. "Well, I'm actually on my way to retake the bar exam. I've been cramming for weeks in preparation."

"O-oh, I see." Gavin said sullenly as he shifted his gaze to the ground.

"Hm?" Phoenix took notice of this. "Something wrong, prosecutor."

"Er, n-nein. You should get going since you are in such a rush."

Phoenix glanced at his watch. "Ah! You're right!" He quickly turned around to begin running at full speed again. "It was nice chatting with you, prosecutor." Before the spikey-haired man to take off at speed rivaling another spikey blue creature, he was stopped in his tracks.

"Herr Wright, just a moment."

Phoenix turned back to face Klavier jogging in place. "What is it? I kinda really have to get moving." He said.

"I know. This will just take a moment." Klavier said. "I simply wanted to… Apologize for my hand in your disbarment, Herr Wright."

"Huh? Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" Phoenix asked.

"This has… Been weighing down on me for some time. My brother may have simply used me as a pawn, but it cannot be denied that I had as much a hand in it as he did." He continued to stare at the ground. "And so, I am… Sorry." Klavier then suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and looked up to see Phoenix staring at him, a smile on his face.

"Klavier, it's fine. You had no idea what your brother was planning. You were fresh out of law school and full of potential. Something Kristoph used to his advantage." He pulled a hand from Klavier's shoulder and extended it to him. "So don't beat yourself up too much. You've already been forgiven."

Klavier mouth slowly formed into a smile as he took Phoenix's hand and smiled. "Thank you, Herr Wright."

"Don't mention it." Phoenix said, turning on his heels. "Now, I really gotta get moving."

"Right. The best of luck to you!" Klavier said.

Both men made to leave when Phoenix suddenly called out. "Prosecutor Gavin!"

Klavier turned around to look at the man again, who flashed him a thumbs up.

"Let's meet in court sometime!"


	43. Recovery

**A/N: This one is a slight continuation of my first two fanfics, Vacation in Kurain and Turnabout Delivery. Those of you who have been around since the beginning will remember how I had Apollo dislocating his shoulder after Maya signed the group up for a wrestling tournament. It just sorta dawned on me that I skipped over his recovery in Ace Mommy. so I thought I'd write up a drabble about it!**

* * *

Athena was pulled from her slumber as a familiar set words reached her ears.

"I'm Apollo Justice and I'm fine!"

Groaning, she turned to look at the alarm clock. 8:05 AM. _That's it, this is the day you die, Justice._ She thought to herself as she dragged herself out of bed to find and murder her boyfriend.

She found him in the living room, arriving just in time to see him belt out another word as he posed dramatically.

"Objection! He cried as he thrust his left arm forward, pointing an accusing finger at his beloved dog, Icarus. Icarus played along and fell over on the couch, playing dead.

Athena was about start strangling him when she realized something. He'd been pointing at Icarus with his LEFT arm.

"Oh, morning Athena." Apollo said as he noticed her spacing out.

"Huh? Oh, hey. Morning, Apollo." Athena said, still thinking about the man's arm.

"So, whaddya think?" Apollo said, flexing his left arm. "Doc says I can finally take the sling off."

"I noticed." The redhead said as she stepped forward and began to caress the man's arm. "It's good to see you've finally recovered from your wrestling debut."

Apollo chuckled. "You're telling me. I can finally start objecting in court properly again."

"Mmhmm," Athena said as she moved her hands to the man's chest, wrapping them around his tie. "And you know what else you can do with that arm?" She said in an almost seductive voice.

"Uh, hehe, what's that?" He asked nervously.

Athena's expression went from serene to downright _murderous_ in an instant as she yanked on his tie with all her might. "You can start a pot of coffee before I KILL you for waking me up so early!"


	44. Defense

Apollo entered the gym, dressed red sweatpants and a black wifebeater. Upon entering, he headed straight for a treadmill, planning to work on his cardio. He put his earbuds in and was just getting ready to step onto the treadmill when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Working out with a punching in the corner of the gym was Athena, dressed in a white tank top and yellow track pants. Her hair was also let down out of its usual side ponytail. It flowed behind her as she wailed on the hanging bag before her, letting flurries of punches and spinning kicks fly. Apollo decided to go and say hi to his co-worker.

"Hey Athena. Didn't know you came to this gym."

Athena appeared not to notice him as she kicked the bag once again.

"Athena?" The horned man said. "Hey, Athena, can you hear me?"

Again, Athena ignored him and continued her work out. Apollo decided to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention.

And immediately regretted it.

As soon as his hand touched her skin, Athena spun around and punched Apollo in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. She then followed up with a spinning kick before grabbing him by the arm and tossing him a across the gym, much like she had to the officer when they'd first met.

Athena had a determined look on her face for a second before what she'd just done fully processed. She yanked her wireless earbuds out and rushed to her friend's side.

"Apollo! Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

Apollo took a sitting position and held his gut, coughing and wheezing for a moment. "I'm-cough cough-fine-cough- Tiger.

"You sure don't sound fine to me." Athena said, kneeling and helping Apollo to his feet before leading him to a nearby bench.

A few minutes passed as Apollo caught his breath. Finally, he spoke. "You can sure throw a punch, y'know that?"

Athena flashed a toothy grin. "Well, I have been learning self-defense for the last five years."

"Ya don't say." Apollo said, rubbing his shoulder where he'd been kicked.

Athena pouted for a moment before standing from the bench and grabbing Apollo's hand. "Alright, c'mon."

"Huh? W-where are we going?" Apollo asked as he was dragged along.

"I'm gonna teach you some self-defense." Athena said as they entered the back room of the gym which housed a boxing ring and more punching bags.

"What? Here? Now?"

"Yes, Apollo. Here and now!" Athena said as she pulled on a pair of gloves and put a mouth guard in. She tossed a pair to Apollo.

Apollo simply sighed, knowing there was no arguing with the girl. Putting on the gloves and mouth guard, he asked. "Alright, what first?"

"First," Athena started. "I'm gonna teach you to take a punch!"

"Wait, what?"

 **Wham!**


	45. Passion

Ema entered her apartment, feeling exhausted after a long day at the precinct. Closing the door behind her, she sighed. _If ever there was a thankless job, it's a homicide detective._

The young woman moved to plop down on the couch when she noticed something. Strew across her apartment floor were rose petals, which appeared to form a trail to her room. Her face contorted into a scowl. _If that glimmerous fop thinks he's in for a night of passion after the extra-long shift I just pulled, he'll be getting a lot more than a handful of Snackoos!_

She grabbed her ever present bag of ammo and began to follow the trail. As she followed she wasn't surprised at all when the petals pooled around her bedroom door. She reached into her back of Snackoos and prepared a projectile as she reached for the doorknob and turned it.

She then stopped right in her tracks.

Standing on stool, Klavier was hard at work securing a large flat-screen Tv to the wall. He was just driving in the final screw when he took notice of the woman out of the corner of his eye.

"Ah, Fraulein! You are home earlier than I expected." He said, giving the TV a shake on its mount to test if it was stable.

"Early? I had to stay late! … Come to think of it, where were you!?"

Klavier laughed nervously. "Ja. Sorry about that. I, er, asked the chief to keep you a bit late."

Ema quickly drew back her arm to launch her chocolatey projectile as Klavier held up his hands defensively.

"Now hold on just a moment, Fraulein, and allow me to explain!" The German man cried.

Ema continued to shoot a death glare at the man, but remained still. "I'm listening."

"Well, as you are aware, Valentine's day is just around the corner. However, I must unfortunately be out of town that day. And so, I decided to surprise you with your gifts today. As you can see," He said, gesturing to the TV. "I bought you a Smart TV for your room. It has all the video streaming apps you could want. I have also asked Olga to prepare your favorite meal, which we can enjoy over candlelight."

Ema continued to glare at the man for a moment. Finally, she placed the Snackoo back in the bag. "Alright, you're forgiven. Ya did good, fop."

"Wunderbar!" Cried the platinum haired prosecutor as he pulled the girl into a hug. "Ich leibe dich, Fraulein." He then leaned in to give the girl a kiss.

 **Katonk!**

"Ach!" Klavier cried as he placed a hand to his forehead where the chocolatey snack had hit him.

"Don't even think of trying to turn this into a night of passion, fop."


	46. Pinned

Apollo dodged Athena's spin kick and backed away quickly.

"Phew, looks like you've finally got the evasion aspect down, Apollo." The redheaded girl said as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Heh, more than just that. I've been practicing the combat on the side." Apollo said smugly.

"Oh. Is that so?" Athena asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Apollo crossed his arms. "Yeah, I don't mean to brag, but I could probably beat you now."

Athena couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh at this, putting her hands on her hips. "Getting a bit cocky now, huh? Alright, let's put that to the test." She then took a fighting stance. "I bet you can't pin me for ten seconds."

Apollo smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Name your terms."

"Let's worry about that after the fact. I can decide what you have to do for me when I'm done kicking your butt."

Her horned adversary took his stance. "Alright, so I can pick my prize when I win. Sounds fair."

"You are gonna regret this, Justice." Athena said. "On three."

The two stared each other down.

"One."

Apollo flexed his fingers before balling them back into fists.

"Two."

Athena cocked her head to the side until it popped.

"Three!"

Athena made the first move, rushing in aiming a punch at Apollo's arm. However, Apollo dodged quickly and delivered a side kick, which Athena guarded against with her hands.

"Not bad, Apollo. You may actually make me break a sweat."

"Now who's getting cocky, Tiger?"

The two traded blows back and forth, neither side wavering. Finally, Athena began to go on the defensive and stepped back. Apollo his change and sprung. He moved in quickly and aimed a punch toward her head. The girl instinctively leaned back to dodged and Apollo took the opportunity to sweep her legs out from under her.

"Oof!" Athena cried as she landed on her back. Apollo wasted no time in pinning her.

"Ready to give up yet?" Apollo asked, looking down at her.

"Hey, you still have a few more seconds. Don't think you've won yet." She began to squirm to get free…

When Apollo's lips suddenly pressed against hers.

The girl was in complete shock and couldn't bring herself to continue trying to escape. She finally began to return the kiss and the two savored the moment. Finally, Apollo pulled back and looked her in the eye.

"Ten."

"Huh?"

Apollo jumped up and released. "That's ten seconds. I win." He began to gather his equipment and headed for the door as Athena stood and chased after him.

"H-hey! Apollo, you get back here!"


	47. Repentance

**These next two are for JordanPhoenix, who requeusted Justine Courtney X Tyrell Badd and Trucy Wright X John Marsh. For those who don't know, Justine Courtney and John Marsh are from Ace Attorney Investigations 2. If you haven't played it, I would highly recommend checking out the fan translation!**

* * *

 **Bang bang!**

The metallic banging sound echoed through the small prison cell. The large, gruff looking man lying on the bed turned his attention in the direction of the sound to see a guard standing at the cell door.

"Badd," The guard said. "You got a visitor. Get over here."

Tyrell Badd shifter the lollipop in his mouth with his tongue. "A visitor… For me? Who one earth would wanna see a lowlife like me?"

"They asked me not to mention until you were actually in the visitor's room. Now get moving!"

The former detective reluctantly stood up from his comfortable laying position and made his way to the cell door. As the guard opened the door, Tyrell held out his hands, knowing the procedure. The guard put the cuffs on him and let him to the visitor's room.

Where Tyrell saw the last person he ever expected to see.

"Tyrell, it is good to see you." Said the beautiful woman across from him.

"Justine… What are you doing here? Figured you'd have severed all ties with me by now… To please your Goddess."

"Hmph, you would think so low of me, my dear?" Justine said, closing her eyes. "I would be insulted… If you did not have good reason for your assumption."

"So," Tyrell said, shifting his lollipop again. "Ya here to call it quits with me? Can't say I blame ya." He reached into his trench coat dramatically, only to pull out a mirror and inspect his face in it. "I seen better days, that's for sure."

Justine looked back to the man before her, a smile now on her face. "Nonsense, Tyrell. You've been here merely a week. You haven't aged a day. And to answer your question… No, I am not here to sever our ties."

This actually took the usually stoic Badd off guard. "Y-You're jokin' right? Ya'd still wanna be with me, even though I basically spit in the face of the law? And your Goddess?"

"Overruled!" Cried the beautiful judge as she slammed her oversized gavel down. "Tyrell Badd, you have indeed committed sins against the Goddess of Law, but your sins can yet be forgiven. Repentance is not beyond your reach."

Tyrell pulled the lollipop out of his mouth. "You think I can repent for my sins? Ya got too much faith in me, Courtney."

"Perhaps so," Justine said, returning her gavel to its normal size before extending her hand forward and smiling. "But is that not what one has for the one they love?"

Tyrell smirked and placed the lollipop back in his mouth. "Yeah. Guess ya got a point there. You're too good to me."

"I am, aren't?" Justine said before putting on a more serious face. "Now, onto a more pressing matter."

Tyrell quirked an eyebrow.

"That lollipop… Would I be correct in assuming it is not, in fact, sugar free?"

Tyrell remained silent for a moment before removing the candy from between his lips once again. "Can't I just pay for one crime at a time?"


	48. Autograph

"Calm down, everyone! One at a time! I promise you'll all get an autograph!"

It was just after nine, and the final show of the night had just ended at the Wonder Bar. As per usual, the place was packed with fans of all ages, each of them having come to see Trucy Wright. Now the crowd was circling around the young girl, wanting autographs.

"Wow, thank you so much, Miss Trucy!" Cried the little eight year old girl who had just asked Trucy to sign her magic wand that had been purchased from the gift shop. "I wanna grow up to be a magician just like you!"

Trucy giggled at the little girl. "Well, I'm certain you'll be an amazing magician someday. But you'll need the right stuff." Trucy then conjured her magic panties from thin air before reaching inside and producing another magic wand and handing it to the girl. "This is a REAL magic wand. The ones they sell in the shop are all for show. Use this, and maybe someday you and I can perform on the same stage."

The little girl's mouth was agape as she accepted the gift from Trucy. She then immediately tossed her arms around the teenager. "Thank you so much! I'll use it and be the best magician ever, you'll see!"

The little girl's parents finally managed to pry her away from Trucy and then family left. Trucy took a quick look around to see if any other people wanted autographs. She noticed only one person who seemed to be making his way toward her. She couldn't quite place it, but the young man seemed familiar.

They boy, who had dark black hair and a serious face, was dressed in a red hoodie and wore a pair of blue jean shirts. He stepped up to Trucy, holding what appeared to be a carton of milk. "Hey," He said. "That was… a cool show."

"Oh, thanks a lot!" Trucy said, tipping the brim of her top hat. "Did you want me to sign something?"

The boy's face didn't change as he replied. "No. I don't ask for autographs. I give them."

Trucy put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean you give them?"

"Wow, you actually don't recognize me? That's new." The boy said.

Trucy tilted her head to the side, examining the boy in more detail. He did seem very familiar. It wasn't until he took a swig from his carton of milk that Trucy figured out. She gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God!" She cried. "You're John Marsh! The famous actor!"

"Took ya long enough." John said, his face barely register any emotion at all.

Trucy puffed out her cheeks. "Ya don't have to be such a jerk about it. But seriously, I can't believe you came to see my show! I love your movies! The Steel Samurai vs The Mighty Moozilla is my favorite movie ever!"

"You actually like that train wreck? That was some of worst work to date." John replied.

"Don't say that!" Trucy said, not even noticing that the two of them had now begun to walk side by side out the door of the Wonder Bar. "Your performance was so great!"

The two of them continued to walk and talk for a bit before a growling sound broke through the air.

"You hungry?" John asked.

Trucy put a hand on her gut. "Yeah, hehe, didn't have a chance to eat before the show."

John remained silent for a moment before speaking up. "Ya wanna go get somethin' to eat? There's a noodle stand in the park nearby. My treat." His face still remained stoic.

Trucy gasped and put her hand to her mouth again. "John, a-are you asking-"

John suddenly put on a angry face and crushed his milk carton in his hand. "Look, do you wanna get something to eat or not!?"

Trucy was taken aback, but replied nonetheless. "Uh, y-yeah. Sure! Thanks a lot."

John turned away from the girl and began walking towards People Park. "Whatever."

Perhaps Trucy had been mistaken, but just before John turned away from her, she could have sworn she'd seen a blush staining his cheeks pink.


	49. Names

**A/N: These next two are sort of lead-ins to my next story, that I actually haven't gotten started on yet. My top priority is Ace Mommy as well as my collaboration with JordanPhoenix, Crossfire. Rest assured, this story will see the light of day once I'm done playing catch up!**

 **Also, Phoenix's middle name is used with permission from JP, who gave him the name in her side-splitting story Double Dilf Doodies. And Maya middle name is taken from the hilarious video series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Idiot by Volty on Youtube.**

* * *

"Nick! Can you come here for a sec?" Maya cried from the kitchen. Phoenix laid down the newspaper he was reading and made his way over to his fiancée.

"What's going on, Maya?" He asked the raven haired woman who had her fingers hovering over the keyboard of her laptop. The young woman turned to face her fiancé.

"I'm making up the invitations for the wedding, when I realized I didn't know your middle name!"

"My middle name?" The older man inquired. "Wow, now that I think about it, I never have told you, have I?" He said, his finger to his chin in thought.

"That's right, you haven't!" The young beauty exclaimed. "So what is it? I need to get these invitations copied and mailed by the end of the week if their all gonna make it on time."

"Phoenix chuckled. "Settle down, Maya. It's Gryphon. Phoenix Gryphon Wright."

Maya was taken aback and looked at the man as if he'd grown a second head. " _Gryphon_!? You're named after TWO mythological creatures?"

Phoenix rubbed the back of his head as he laughed. "Yeah, well, my mom had a think for mythical creatures." He then brought a hand to his chin again. "Wait, now that I think about it, I don't think you've ever told me your middle name."

"Oh, well, that doesn't matter. Hey, so Trucy's show at the Wonder Bar was pretty great, huh?" She attempted to change the subject, to no avail.

"Doesn't matter? Don't you need both of our middle names on the invitations?" Phoenix asked, refusing to turn his attention away from what was now an elephant in the room.

"Uh, n-nope! Just yours! Oh, gee, would ya look at the time." The young woman looked at her bare wrist. "It's time for my hourly burger break!"

"Maya, you have a burger right next to your laptop." The spikey-haired lawyer said. "What wrong? Are you embarrassed of your middle name?"

"W-what? No! Why would I be embarrassed of my middle name?" Maya asked as she laughed nervously. Phoenix continued to stare at the woman for a moment. Finally, she cracked. "Okay, yes, I hate my middle name. It's so stupid and I really don't want to put it on the invitations."

"Oh, c'mon, it can't be that bad." Phoenix offered.

"Really? Ya sure about that?" Maya stormed over to his desk and grabbed a pen and paper before scribbling something down on it and making her way back to the man and handing the piece of paper to him.

Phoenix looked at what was written on the paper and glanced back to the spirit medium. "So, this is your middle name?" Maya nodded silently. Phoenix looked at the paper again. "This isn't that bad, Maya."

"Really? You think so?" Maya asked as she looked at the man with pleading eyes.

"Absolutely. I've heard much worse. So why don't you just put it on the invitation and go make the copies."

Maya stared at the man for a brief moment before smiling. "Alright, if you so, Nick!" She planted a kiss on the lawyers cheek before typing some things into her laptop and pulling the flash drive from the slot. "I'll be back in a bit!" With that, she was out the door.

Phoenix waited a moment after the girl had left before nearly collapsing onto the kitchen table in laughter. "GILLIGAN! MAYA GILLIGAN FEY!"


	50. Invitation

"Professor! Take a look at this!" Cried a now teenaged Luke Triton as he stepped into the office of his friend and mentor.

Hershel Layton turned his attention away from the tea he was preparing to look at the young man. "Hm? What is it, Luke?"

Luke stepped forward and presented a letter to the top hat wearing gentleman. "Look who sent us a letter."

Layton took the letter from his apprentice and inspected the handwriting on the front of the letter. "Phoenix Wright? Now this is unexpected. It feels like years since we last heard from Mr. Wright or Miss Fey."

"What do you suppose it says?" Luke inquired.

"Well, only one way to know for sure, Luke." He handed the letter back to the sandy haired teenager. "Why don't you read it out loud, my boy?"

"Of course, Professor!" Luke wasted no time, grabbing a letter opener from the nearby desk and cutting open the letter. He reached inside and pulled out what looked to be an invitation card. "Mr. Hershel Layton," Luke started. "Your presence is requested for the wedding of… Phoenix Gryphon Wright and Maya Gilligan Fey!?"

Layton very nearly choked on the tea that he had begun drinking at the mention of a wedding! He quickly swallowed his tea before speaking. "Did you say a wedding!? For Mr. Wright and Miss Fey?"

"That's what it says, Professor. It also says that the ceremony will be held on June the sixth at three in the afternoon." Luke said as he continued reading the invitation.

"Well, I'll be. I wasn't even aware that the two of them were even an item."

"This is all new information to me, too." Luke replied as he made himself a cup of tea. "I mean, I had my suspicions when we met them in Labyrinthia, but it really wasn't my place to pry."

The brown clad professor smiled at the young man. "Spoken like a true gentleman, my boy."

"So, what do you say, Professor? Should we RSVP?"

Layton took a moment to smile at his assistant again before speaking. "Of course, Luke. After all…" He brought his teacup to his mouth for another sip. "A gentleman always makes time for his friends."


	51. Generation

**A/N: These next two go out to my favorite Spanish reader, ZardX, who reqeusted a fairly specific prompt starring Marvin Grossberg! Hope you like 'em Zard!**

* * *

Marvin Grossberg finished packing away the last of his things into boxes and took a moment to look around his surroundings. The soon-to-be former Grossberg law offices were left bare. Every picture removed from the wall, leaving a box in the dust that surrounded it. Every piece of furniture moved from its place and waiting off to the side to be removed from the building.

 _This has been a long time coming._ Marvin thought to himself. _Aside from the fact that I have had so few clients in the last year, I should have realized that an old fool like myself had no right to continue wearing this badge after the sins I have committed. It's time to let the new generation take over._

He glanced down at his watch to check the time. Only 11:35. "Hm, it seems I got a bit ahead of myself. The moving truck won't be here until three."

As the rotund man thought about what he could do to kill time, there was a knock at the office door. "Hm? Why whoever could that be? I was certain I put the closed sign up." Grossberg made his way to the door and pulled it open. "I'm terribly sorry, but if you're seeking legal counsel, I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. The Grossberg Law Offices are closing."

"Oh, t-that's quite alright sir!" Exclaimed a rather squeaky voice. "I'm not here for a lawyer. I'm here to deliver a letter!"

Grossberg eyed the young man at his door. He was indeed dressed in a postman's uniform, but it was the man's face that warranted the lawyer's attention. The man had a hard face to describe, however the words 'meek' and 'excitable' came to mind.

The eccentric looking man held a letter out to Marvin. "A letter for you, sir!" He cried as he flashed a salute.

Marvin took the letter and examined it, his face registering shock at the name on the front. "Phoenix Wright!? Why ever would this man wish to contact me after all this time."

"I don't know the answer to that, sir! I'm simply doing my job as a postman!" The young man saluted again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've many more letters to deliver, sir!' With that, the man shambled off, seemingly stumbling over his own feet as he made his way down the hall.

Marvin closed the door behind him and grabbed a letter opener, tearing into the envelope and pulling a letter out.

"Marvin Grossberg, you are invited to the Grossberg Law Offices reunion?!" The plump man read aloud. He read on further. "To be held today at People Park at noon. We request your presence as the guest of honor!?" _Oh, I've a bad feeling in my hemorrhoids._


	52. Reunited

Despite his confusion and overall bad feelings on the matter, Marvin made his way to the park. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, with their pink petals blowing through the air as Marvin made his way for the picnic area, where he assumed this reunion would be held. When he reached the area, he saw six people seated. Some seemed to be enjoying bowls of noodles as others chattered away with each other. He recognized one person amongst the group. The blue on that suit and those dangerous looking spikes giving the man away easily.

"Ah-HHHHEM!" Marvin cleared his throat loudly, gaining the attention of every person in the area. Six pairs of eyes looked on at the man… Well, five pairs and one visor that seemed as if it was going to fire lasers at him at any moment!

"Ah, the guest of honor is here!" Phoenix exclaimed as he stood from his seat and made his way over to Marvin. "Mr. Grossberg, I'm glad you made it. Some of us were getting worried you wouldn't show."

"Yes, well, I only just received my invitation. And the idea of a reunion for my soon to be closed law firm rather piqued my interest." He then gave Phoenix a very serious look. "Care to explain what all this is about, Mr. Wright?"

Phoenix smiled. "It's exactly what it sounds like. We have a few people who wanted to reunite with their old boss one more time." He led the way over to a picnic table and gestured for Marvin to take a seat. He did so, however the extra weight caused the wood to begin cracking, prompting Marvin to stand back up. I think I'll stand, thank you very much."

"Fair enough. Now, I believe a few people have some things to say. Mia, why don't you start?"

Mia? Surely this man is off his rocker!

However, much to Marvin's surprise, Mia Fey stood from one of tables and walked up to him. She looked almost exactly as Marvin remembered her, right down to that iconic suit of hers. However, her normally chocolate brown hair was much more sandy blonde in color. "Marvin, it's been quite some time."

"It… It has. Mia… I'm practically speechless. You came back from the dead!?" Marvin asked.

Mia giggled. "I suppose that's one way of putting it. Actually, my young cousin is channeling my spirit. I know you were always skeptical of my family's powers, so no you have some living, breathing proof… Metaphorically speaking, of course." She flashed a smile at her former boss. "Now, on to a more pressing matter. I understand that you're planning to close your law firm."

"Ah, so the stories of my failures reach even the afterlife, it seems. Yes, it is true. I've come to terms with the fact that I've no right to continue practicing law after all I have done. Is that why you are here, Mia? To laugh at the old failure?"

"Pathetic!" Cried a new, yet familiar voice. Marvin and Mia tunred their attention to the new voice to see a man clad in a green suit, wearing a strange visor-like device on his face, sipping coffee from a to-go cup. The man stood and made his way over to the two. "Still hung up on old mistakes, eh, Grossberg?"

"That voice… DIEGO!? My lord, man, it's been ages! The last I heard of you, you were serving time for the murder of…" Marvin's eyes darted back to Mia, whose face didn't change at all.

"It's alright, Marvin. What he did, he did to help my baby sister. He really had no choice." Mia explained.

"Thanks for sticking by my side, Kitten." Diego then turned his attention back to Marvin as he took a long gulp from his coffee cup. "Now, as I was saying, you're still moping about your old sins? Get over it, man! Even the best of us make mistakes. Living proof, right here!" The man said as he flashed a toothy grin.

"Mistakes are one thing, Diego. Ruining lives is another matter entirely."

"Ruining lives, huh?" Yet another new voice chimed. It was also recognizable to the older man. Another man joined the group and looked at Marvin, his dark eyes immediately recognizable to the aging lawyer.

"Robert!? Lord, it's as if all my demons have come back to haunt me at once!" Indeed, before him now stood Robbert Hammond, dressed in a black suit, but now sporting long raven black hair that was tied into a topknot.

Robert Hammond laughed dryly. Demons, you say? Funny, I'd like to believe at least one of us here is an angel." He said, casting a glance at Mia. "You say you've ruined lives? I suppose that is true. You did sent a woman running in shame. But how many lives do you think I ruined in my time on this earth? Dozens, perhaps? I can't even count. I've had a lot of time to reflect on my actions in my time in the afterlife. You think you have no right to be a lawyer? What about a man who selfishly defended anyone who came to him for personal gain? Yogi truly was an innocent man, but I didn't care about that. I made him plead insanity and it got me a bullet. My time to repent is long gone. But you? You still have time to say you're sorry. And lord knows we'll all believe you."

"R-Robert…" Marvin glanced between his three former employees. Three people who, by all rights, should hate him. Yet they were instead offering him words of encouragement.

"Look over there, Marvin." Mia said, pointing at one of the picnic tables. Marvin did as he was told and looked to see Phoenix sitting with two other people. A man with two horn-like strands of hair pointing up on his forehead clad in red attire and a redhead with a side ponytail wearing yellow clothes. The three seemed to be laughing merrily about something.

"Those two are Phoenix's employees." Mia explained. They're two very bright and hopeful individuals who Phoenix has taught to the best of his abilities. And Phoenix in turn learned from me. And do you remember who I learned from?"

"Mia, you needn't offer such words to me-"

"That's right!" Mia interrupted the man, ignoring whatever he had to say. "I learned from you."

"So did I, Kitten." Diego spoke up.

"And I would have done well to have actually paid attention to your teachings." Robert added. "Whether you want to believe it or not, you have passed on a lot of wisdom to the current generation of attorneys. If you believe you have done else with your life, Grossberg, believe that you helped instill the knowledge these young ones will need to bring about an era of change for the better."

"Y-you all are far too kind." Marvin said. "I do not deserve such praise."

"Maybe not." Diego said as he emptied his to-go cup and produced another one seemingly from thin air. "But I don't hand out praise easily. So you damn well better take it, old man!

"I've no intention of taking back everything I said either, Marvin." Mia said.

"You know compliments from me rare, Grossberg. Take it or leave it." Robert added.

Marvin looked at the three before him before removing his glasses and wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Thank you. All of you…" He placed his glasses back on his face and glanced at his watch. "Good heavens! I must hurry before it's too late!"

"Hurry and do what?" Mia inquired.

"Hurry and cancel that moving truck! If I don't hurry, they'll load everything and I'll have to carry it back to the office myself! Oh, my hemorrhoids are on fire at the mere thought!" The plump man began to move as quickly as his heavy legs would allow him back to his office. "Do forgive my rudeness, you three! You know how it is!" With that, Marvin Grossberg shambled away, his newfound confidence pushing him forward back to his office.


	53. Singing

**A/N: Dedicating this one to my good friend and amazing reader/writer thepudz! I know how you like your Justicykes, pal, so here ya go!**

 **By the way, lyrics are not by me. They are from the vocal version of Athena's theme, Courtroom Revolutionnaire, made by the incredibly talented adrisaurus on Youtube! I highly recommend checking out her working if you like this.  
**

* * *

"Apolloooooooo! I need you!" Athena cried from the bedroom.

Apollo let out a sigh and laid down his newspaper before making his way to the bedroom, where his sick girlfriend. "What is it, Tiger?"

Athena blew her nose into a tissue and looked at her boyfriend. "Can you bring me some soup, please?" She asked. Her voice sounded almost pleading, the cold having caused her voice to change drastically.

"Soup? Uh, I think I'm actually out right now. Anything else you'd like?"

Athena shook her head. "I really want some soup. Chicken noodle. Can you go get some?"

Apollo groaned. "You seriously want me to go out and buy some soup in this weather?"

"Please?" Athena asked, again in her, Apollo assumed, unintended pleading voice. Her eyes also appeared to be watering. Apollo was sure the watery eyes were a result of the cold, but he wasn't so sure Athena hadn't perfected the art of turning on the waterworks at will to get what she wanted. The sight before him nearly made his heart break.

Finally, the red-clad attorney let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, I'll go get you some soup. You still got plenty of ginger ale?"

"Uh huh. Thanks, Apollo." She held her arms open, anticipating a hug from the man, which he obliged.

"I'll be back as quick as I can. Just keep trying to get some rest."

A few hours after Apollo returned from the store and made Athena her soup, her voice rang out again.

"Apollooooo! Can you come here?"

Apollo let out another sigh as he saved the document he had open on his computer and made his way to the bedroom again.

"What is it now, Athena?" Apollo asked the sickly girl who was currently coughing.

When her coughing fit subsided, she looked at the brown-haired man. "I can't sleep."

"Well, whaddya want me to do about it?" Apollo asked, trying his best not to sound annoyed.

"Can you sing for me?" Athena asked bluntly.

Apollo was taken aback at this suggestion. "Y-you want me to sing for you?!"

Athena nodded. "It'll help me fall asleep."

Apollo scratched the back of his head. "Well… I-I don't exactly have a great singing voice."

"Please, Apollo?" Athena said. Once again, her eyes were watering and her voice sounded pleading.

Apollo knew he was no match for this girl when she was sick and made his way over to the bed, sitting next to her and placing an arm around her shoulder. "Alright, Tiger. You win. What do you want me to sing?"

"Surprise me." Athena replied.

Apollo sat for a moment, racking his brain for the songs he knew before he settled on one, knowing it would be perfect.

 _Follow your heart out of the darkness_

 _Stand up and rise from the ashes_

 _Back to the start, far from the madness_

 _Come alive again_

Athena recognized the melody and began to hum it to herself as Apollo continued to sing.

 _Break off the chains of hesitation_

 _Your voice will be your salvation_

 _Look to the light of liberation_

 _Waiting at the end_

Athena continued to hum as Apollo continued, her eyes drifting closed ever so slowly.

 _I'll chase away_

 _All of the phantoms that haunt in your sleep_

 _Don't be afraid of your emotions_

 _Give into them and run to me_

 _I can hear you calling out for me_

 _All of the discord in your heart reveals_

 _That you need me now_

 _So I won't leave you, this I vow_

Athena finally closed her eyes completely, but continued to hum along.

 _Once I was young, once I was frightened_

 _But now I stand here enlightened_

 _No longer bound by my own silence_

 _This is here and now_

 _Walk every road, fight every battle_

 _Let judgement fall with the gavel_

 _Stand unashamed:_

 _What good is faith without a bit of doubt?_

Athena's humming finally ceased and her breathing began to slow as she drifted off to sleep, however, Apollo decided to continue and finish the song.

 _I'll chase away_

 _All of the phantoms that haunt in your sleep_

 _Don't be afraid of your emotions_

 _Give into them and run to me_

 _I can hear you calling out for me_

 _All of the discord in your heart reveals_

 _That you need me now_

 _So I won't leave you, this I vow_

Apollo took one more look at the young woman next to him as a smile spread across his face. He finally sang the last lyrics before down and placing a soft kiss upon the girl's forehead.

 _You'll be safe for now_

 _I'll never leave you, this I vow_


	54. Prosecutor

"Haven't seen you pacing nervously in a while. Something on your mind, Athena?" Phoenix asked his young employee as he entered the lobby.

Athena turned her attention to her boss. "Oh, hey boss. Yeah, kinda. I feel like I have a good understanding of the case, but it really bothers me not knowing who the prosecutor is."

Phoenix crossed his arms and gave the young redhead a concerned look. "You weren't able to find out yesterday?"

Athena shook her head. "All I found out is that it's a new guy at the Prosecutor's office, but that he has a bit of a reputation. It has me a bit worried, y'know?"

Phoenix gave his best smile. "I really don't think you have much to worry about. I've looked over the files myself and you should have no problem proving Miss Knightley innocent."

The yellow clad girl exhaled a large sigh. "I sure hope you're right."

Finally, the door to the courtroom opened and a bailiff stepped in. "Defense, the trial will commence shortly. Please make your way to the courtroom."

"Well, only one way to find out. C'mon." Phoenix replied to the girl with a smile.

The two lawyers made their way to the bench just as the Judge made it to his chair and banged his gavel.

"Court is now session for the trial of Sarah Knightley. Is the defense ready?" The Judge asked in his usual booming voice.

"The defense is as ready as it will ever be, Your Honor." Athena replied, one hand on the bench and another on her hip.

The Judge nodded. "Very good, and the prosecution?"

All eyes in the courtroom turned to look at the prosecutor's bench, only to find it empty.

"Hm? It seems the prosecution has not even arrived. Under the4se circumstances, the trial cannot proceed."

 _What gives?_ Athena thought to herself. _Does this mystery prosecutor even exist? What kind of newbie prosecutor is late for their first-_

 _ **HOLD IT!**_

Athena's thoughts were cut short by a loud and heavily accented voice echoing through the room. Looking in the direction of the voice, Athena found herself looking at a tall, redheaded man, wearing a silver suit with what appeared to be a tie made of _chainmail_ and a sleeve of medieval armor on his right arm!At the man's waist, he had a sword sheathed.

Athena began to sweat. _A sword in court? This guy must be a friend of Simon's._

The mystery man slowly made his way to the prosecutor's bench and looked at the Judge. "Forgive me for my lateness, milord. As I am new to the city, finding the courthouse proved more difficult than I imagined. Nevertheless, I am here, and I am ready."

The Judge stared at the man in wide-eyed shock. "You are… The prosecutor for this case?"

"That is correct." The man pulled his blade from its sheath and held in front of him, seemingly in some form of salute. "Prosecutor Zacharias Barnaham is ready, milord!"


	55. Starter

**A/N: As you may be able to guess from my username, I am a huge Pokemon fan. So when we got news of the starters for Gen 7, I had to write something up about it! Those of you who aren't Pokemon fans, this one is worth skipping. For everyone else, I hope you enjoy it!**

 **P.S. Hashtag TeamLitten**

* * *

"Litten is obviously the best choice! For two people with supposed super sight, you guys really are blind, y'know that?" Athena argued with the red lawyer and blue magician in the room.

"You CAN'T be serious! Just look at Rowlet! It has a little leaf bowtie! Have you ever seen something so cute in your life?!" Trucy retorted as she waved her phone around at the redheaded lawyer.

"You're BOTH wrong! Popplio is clearly the superior choice! It may look silly now, but remember Oshawott? It went from a silly looking clown to a samurai!" Apollo butted in as he showed of the picture on his phone.

As all this went on, Phoenix walked into the office, hanging up his coat as the three bickered back and forth, shouting out names for things he couldn't even begin to imagine what they looked like. "Should I even ask what you three are talking about?"

The three bickering young people looked at the senior lawyer for a moment and then back to each other, nodding before suddenly charging at the man.

Phoenix's eyes grew wide as he stepped backward and collapsed onto the couch, instinctively grabbing wallet out of his pocket and holding it in front of him. "Here, just take my money and don't hurt me! There's probably enough for a coffee in there!"

Trucy batted the wallet out of his hand shoved her phone in his face. "Daddy! What do you think? Isn't Rowlet the obvious best choice!?"

"Huh? I-"

Phoenix was cut off as Athena knocked the magician down and put her phone in the man's face. "She's so wrong, boss! Litten is clearly the right choice!"

"What's-"

Again, Phoenix was cut short as Apollo butted in and practically punched his boss as he showed him something on his phone. "They're both delusional, Mr. Wright! Popplio is the way to go!"

The three argued back and forth for a moment longer before finally had enough. He quickly shot up from the couch and stomped his foot down. "HOLD IT!"

At the sound of the familiar phrase being shouted out, the lawyers and magician silenced themselves and looked at their in wide-eyed shock.

"Alright, now that I have your attention, I want you three to CALMLY explain to me what you're arguing about. Trucy, you start."

Trucy slowly stepped forward and held her phone out. "W-we were arguing about the best starter for the new Pokémon games, daddy."

"Pokémon? Are you kidding me?" Phoenix asked as he looked at the picture on Trucy's phone, which appeared to show a sandy colored baby owl, with what seemed to be a small bowtie made of leaves on it. "What am I even looking at here?"

"It's Rowlet!" Trucy explained excitedly. "It's the grass-type starter. Obviously, it's a cute little owl, and it starts off as a grass _and_ flying type!"

"Uh….. Huh." Phoenix said. "So, where to I come in here?"

"We want you to be our tie breaker!" Athena suddenly exclaimed. Everyone in the room looked at the girl, who shrunk back in embarrassment. "S-sorry. Didn't mean to speak out of turn."

Phoenix let out a sigh. "So you three want me to look at the one like and tell you which one I like?" Apollo, Athena, and Trucy all nodded. The blue lawyer groaned. "Alright, if it'll get you three to stop arguing, I guess I'll play along. Truce, you already showed me yours. Athena, it's your turn."

Athena grinned as she stepped forward and held out her phone. "Here's the _clear_ winner, boss!"

Phoenix examined the creature on the screen. It appeared to be a red and black kitten, with marking fairly similar to a tiger.

"This one's called Litten. It's a fire type kitten, and it's just SO adorable! It may only have one type, but I think it'll become a dark type when it evolves."

"Alright… Apollo, time to make your case." Phoenix said as he looked at his most senior employee.

The horned lawyer stepped forward and revealed his phone, showing Phoenix a picture of what seemed to be a blue seal with a round pink nose and light blue frills around his neck.

"This one's Popplio. It's a water type seal Pokémon. I used to always go for the fire type, but the last few have been kinda disappointing, while the water types have been awesome! I just know this one will turn out being the very best!"

"Mmhmmm." Phoenix put his hand to his chin, making it look as though he were thinking hard on his decision, when in reality, he was simply contemplating how ridiculous this whole situation was.

"So, whaddya think, boss?" Athena asked after a moment.

"Well…" Phoenix started as he opened his eyes. "As the tie breaker here, I hereby declare…"

Silence fell over the room as the three awaited to hear the verdict.

"… Popplio to be the best starter."

"Yes!" Apollo cried out and held his hand up, anticipating a high five from his boss.

Phoenix remained quiet for a moment before speaking. "I don't do high-fives, Apollo. Now get back to work. That toilet isn't scrubbing itself."

Apollo's horns fell over his face as he lowered arm and tuned around, heading for the supply closet.

Athena and Trucy had gone from groaning about Phoenix's choice to snickering at Apollo's misfortune. Phoenix turned his attention to them. "Athena, you get back to work too. Trucy, you have finals coming up. Go study."

Both girls slumped as they separated, Athena heading to her desk and Trucy going to her room.

Phoenix sighed and made his way to his desk. He faked as if he were working for a moment before glancing at Athena to make sure she wasn't paying attention and reaching into his pocket, pulling out his Nintendo 3DS and opening it, picking up his game where he left off.

"These kids all wrong. You'll always be the best." He said to himself as he sent his trusty Blastoise into battle.


	56. Birthday

Athena sighed once more as the screen on her desktop refreshed. No new emails. Again. She clicked her Skype tab. Not online. Still.

The date was June 8, 2030. In other words, her twenty-first birthday. She should be happy. Overjoyed, even. She was finally old enough to drink.

But now, at 11:52 PM, only 8 minutes remaining before her birthday was over, not a drop of alcohol had passed her lips. Blackquill had offered to take her, Phoenix, and any other friends she felt like inviting to a fancy sushi restaurant, where she could get nice and drunk on expensive sake. But she had declined. The reason being a promise that had been made to her 3 years before.

" _Tell ya what, Athena. When you turn twenty-one, I'll personally take you out for your first drink."_

" _Oh? Is that a promise?"_

" _Sure. I promise!"_

That promise had been made by Apollo. Apollo, who she hadn't seen in a year since his last visit from Khu'rain. Apollo, who had left two years ago to help reform the legal system of said foreign country. Apollo…

The man she loved.

Though she had never told him of her feelings, what she felt was undeniably love. She tried to lie to herself at first. But she had finally come to terms with it. But by the time she had, it was too late. Apollo's mind had been made up. She had wanted to tell him, but she knew it would either end with him declining her feelings or making him feel all the worse for leaving.

Athena glanced at the clock once more. 11:55 PM. She wasn't even sure why she was still awake. She had no reason to stay up. She had work the next day and she still did not plan to partake in any alcohol. Letting out one last sigh, the redhead pressed the power button on her desktop with her foot and stood up, heading to her bedroom to call it a night.

When suddenly, there came three knocks at the door.

The lawyer stared at the door, wondering who on EARTH would be knocking at this ungodly hour. She waited a moment, thinking that perhaps she was simply hearing things. But then the knocks came again. Someone was most certainly at the door, waiting for her. She slowly made her way to the door, her heart beating a mile a minute as she slowly reached for the knob. She turned it and ever so slowly pulled the door open. Her ears began to pick up on a heartbeat. A _familiar_ heartbeat. She was certain she had to be imagining things. No way was _that_ person at the door.

She finally pulled the door open in its entirety…

And was greeted with the greatest birthday present she could ever ask for.

"Hey Tiger." That familiar voice she loved so much said. The person held up two wine glasses and a full bottle of wine. _Expensive_ wine. "Hope I'm not too late to celebrate."


	57. Celebration

Athena stared at the man for a moment. She couldn't believe her eyes! Apollo Justice, who had stayed behind in Khura'in two years before, was now standing before her.

"A-Apollo? W-what are you-? When did-?"

Apollo, however, interrupted the girl. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. And I promise I'll answer them all. But first," The horned attorney held up the bottle of wine. "I have a promise to keep, and only a few minutes left to do so. So, mind if I come in."

"Oh, uh, y-yeah. Sure!" Athena motioned for the man to come inside. Apollo made his way to the couch, Athena following suit. He set the two glasses on the coffee table and reached into his pocket, producing a cork remover. He quickly pulled the cork from the wine and poured a half glass of wine for each of them, handing a glass to the girl.

"Happy birthday, Tiger." He said, a sincere smile on his face as the two clinked glasses and took a sip.

"Mmmm," Athena sounded as the drink slid down her throat. "That's really good."

Apollo chuckled softly. "Well, I would hope so. Nahyuta did recommend the most expensive vintage he could think of that wouldn't bankrupt me."

"Oh, Prosecutor Sadmadhi helped you pick this out? Somehow, I can't imagine him drinking." Athena said as she took another sip.

"You mean, CHIEF Prosecutor Sadmadhi." Apollo corrected.

"He got promoted to CHIEF prosecutor? Holy cow!"

Apollo looked down at his glass of wine and smiled. "Yeah, as you can imagine, once lawyers started coming back to Khura'in, Payne didn't last long as Chief Prosecutor. I hear he may have fled to Borginia now."

The two shared a laugh together. The first in what felt like an eternity. Finally, a heavy silence fell over the room. An uncomfortable silence that Athena broke after several minutes.

"So, how long are you in town for this time?" She asked sadly.

"Actually…" He began. "I'm back for quite a while. Things are finally starting to calm down over in Khura'in, what with lawyers moving their practices to help with the establishment of the new legal system. I think I may be able to start actually considering moving back to the states."

"Really!? That's great!" Athena cried with unmasked enthusiasm.

"Now, calm down, Tiger. I'm not coming back just yet. This visit essentially just for some r & r. I've finally managed to catch up on my massive case load. So I left Datz in charge for a few weeks while I take a breather."

"You left DATZ in charge?! Are you sure that's a good idea!?"

Apollo laughed at the girl's reaction. "You'd actually be surprised. He's really been a huge help in re-establishing the legal system. He even earned his own badge. Said he wanted to follow in Dhurke's footsteps."

"Wow, Datz Are'bal Ace Attorney, huh? Never thought I'd say that."

"Well, Ace is going a bit far. But he's getting the hang of it. He finally stopped throwing firecrackers at witnesses."

Athena snorted with laughter at the thought of the rebel tossing explosives at people to get them to confess.

The two continued to talk. About Khura'in, about life in general, about their friends, and about their families. All the while, the amount of wine in the bottle dwindled more and more until Athena shook the bottle to get that last drop of the sweet nectar.

"Aw, nutsh." Athena slurred. "We're all out, 'Pollo."

"Really? Thatsh no good. We needa get shome more." Apollo said as he shakily got on his feet.

"But itsh Sunday. Can't buy alcohol. Maybe we should jusht go ta bed."

Apollo hiccupped. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Mind if I crash on your couch?"

"Mmmmm," Athena groaned. "If ya think can get back to it after ya take me to my room."

"Whaaat? When did I agree to that?"

"When you came here and got me drunk. Now get movin' bushter."

Apollo groaned and moved to carry the girl bridal style to her room.

"Ow! Watch it! There's a wall there!"

"Sorry, can barely even stand right now."

"Alright, left here."

"Ow!"

"I said left!"

"I went left!"

After arguing for several minutes, the two finally managed to make it to the bedroom, where Apollo placed her as carefully as he could on the bed.

"Alright. Guessh I'll see ya in the morning, 'Thena." Apollo turned to leave the room, when Athena suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Uh uh. Stay." She pleaded.

"Huh?"

"Stay here. Please?" The girl asked in a cute voice.

Apollo stared at the girl for a moment before smiling. "Of course."

The man carefully laid on the bed and once he was comfortable, Athena nuzzled into his chest.

"I missed you."

Apollo wrapped his arms around the girl and closed his eyes, letting sleep begin to overtake him. "I missed you too."


	58. Skype

Apollo tossed and turned in his bed. It had been like this for a while. He'd been in Khu'rain for about three weeks now. And though he was beginning to get used to day to day life, he found himself restless when the time came to sleep. No matter how much he wanted to drift off, sleep alluded him. And he knew exactly why.

His restless mind kept drifting to one person in particular: Athena.

He'd know when he had decided to stay that it would be difficult. He knew it would hurt Mr. Wright and Trucy. But what he had most dreaded at the time was telling Athena.

She had been understandably upset with his decision. But what killed him was that his decision would take him away from her. Away from the woman he loved.

He had thought of being selfish and asking her to stay with him. But he couldn't. And watching that plane leave with her aboard was perhaps the most painful thing he had ever done. The ache he felt in his heart rivaled the pain he felt in the weeks following Clay's death. Sure, he would see her again. He had promised to return. But he knew it wouldn't be for some time. That he had a lot of work to do in Khu'rain.

Sighing the man lifted himself up and pulled out his laptop, opening it up deciding to do some research on a subject involved in an upcoming case. A habit he had picked up from Nahyuta. However, he also decided to take a quick look at his Skype messenger, out of curiosity.

Given the time, he was shocked to see Athena was online. The time difference between Khu'rain and LA was only a few hours, she he had assumed she would be asleep. But her icon showed her to be online. His hand hovering over the button, he was tempted to click it. See if she wanted to talk. He wanted so badly to hear her sweet voice.

But he hesitated. For all he knew, Athena was still furious at him for staying. She probably didn't want to speak to him. And he couldn't blame her. Just as he moved his cursor to close the window, it suddenly changed. It now showed Athena's icon, a picture of two of them at a Gaviners concert that she had dragged him to. The usual tone also played. Athena was calling _him._ And a video call no less. Though he expected harsh words, he accepted the call.

The screen immediately changed to show Athena, dressed in a pair of orange pajamas and presumably sitting in her bed staring at him. Apollo stared back, completely unsure of what to say.

Athena was the one to break the silence.

"H-hey. Didn't expect you to be up."

"Y-yeah. Was surprised to get a call from you."

Silence fell again for a moment before they both opened their mouths to speak at the same time.

"Apollo, I-"

"Athena, listen-"

They both looked at each other before laughing at the moment.

"You go first." Athena insisted.

"Athena… I'm sorry. I really don't know what else to say. I'm just… Sorry. I know how much it must have hurt you all when I decided to stay. But I had to. Khu'rain needs someone who will stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves."

Athena listened to his words, possibly listening to the emotions behind them as well.

"Apollo… You have nothing to be sorry for. I mean, yeah, it hurt when we first got back and you weren't around. But that's natural. I was so used to seeing you every day. But you don't have to worry!" She flashed her signature peace sign. "I'm fine!"

Apollo stared at her for a moment. He wasn't wearing his bracelet, but he could still tell she was lying.

"Athena, your fingers are twitching. You don't need to lie to me."

The grin on Athena's face fell. "Guess I can't even fool those eyes overseas, huh?"

"Nope. You can be honest with me, Athena. I won't judge you or anything."

Athena let out a sigh. "Alright. The truth is I'm kind of a mess. I've had trouble sleeping ever since we got home. I just… I miss you so much, Apollo." Apollo's eyes widened as he noticed a tear begin to slide down her cheek. "Every day I walk into the office and see your desk, it breaks my heart. I just…"

"YOU'RE FINE!"

Athena jumped at the sudden shout from Apollo.

"You're Athena Cykes and you're fine!"

"A-Apollo…"

Apollo smiled at the girl. "C'mon, Tiger, say it with me. YOU'RE ATHENA CYKES AND YOU'RE FINE!"

"I-I- … Apollo, I'll wake up everyone in the complex."

"YOU'RE ATHENA CYKES AND YOU'RE FINE!"

"I-I'm… I'M ATHENA CYKES AND I'M FINE!" Athena finally shouted.

"Atta girl! YOU'RE ATHENA CYKES AND YOU'RE FINE!"

"I'M ATHENA CYKES AND I'M FINE!"

This continued for some time. Shouting their usual mantra over and over again, Athena not even caring who she woke.

The two chatted well into the night until Athena finally grew so exhausted; she passed out right there in front of him!

He knew he should respect her privacy and end the call. But he waited. Simply watching the beautiful girl slumber peacefully. Finally, deciding it was time to call it a night himself, he ended the call. But not before saying one last thing to the girl, despite knowing he'd receive no answer.

"Good night, Tiger… I love you."

Just before he hung up, Athena stirred just slightly. And even in her groggy state, she heard his farewell. And though he had already hung up, she replied.

"Good night, Apollo. I love you too."


	59. Bitter

It was Mia's first day at the Grossberg law offices. And BOY was she bored.

She'd expected this, of course. Can't come into a law office and expect a high profile murder case day one.

The place was nice enough, and her boss could be annoying, but he was hard to hate.

Her co-worker, on the other hand…

The word infuriating came to mind. Diego Armando was her senior and he made sure she knew it, giving her the business at every opportunity.

He was snarky, condescending, a pain in the ass… And drop dead gorgeous.

What? She's a woman. She can notice when a man is hotter than the Sahara.

Said sexy lawyer walked by her desk at that moment, placing a Styrofoam cup of coffee on it.

"On the house, Kitten." He said, punctuating it with a wink before walking off.

Mia grabbed the cup and took a quick whiff before trying a sip.

Blech!

God, did she hate bitter coffee.

* * *

She was still shaking. Only an hour earlier, her first client, Terry Fawles, had committed suicide on the stand.

What had she done wrong? She thought she'd done everything perfect. The truth couldn't have been any clearer by the end of the case, yet the true killer had walked free and her client, an innocent man by all accounts, was dead.

She'd tried to run home, but her legs just wouldn't cooperate. She felt like screaming.

But now she was here, in some random coffee house she'd never been to because of Diego. He'd found her outside the courthouse, hyperventilating in the cold rain. And so he'd brought her here for 'the best cup of coffee you can get outside of my kitchen.'

He silently placed a cup in front of her. "Just the way you like it." He said with a sincere smile before taking a seat across from her.

She quickly brought the hot beverage to her mouth.

He was right. It was just how she liked it.

Bitter.

* * *

As Diego would put it, that was hotter than Hell itself.

The last thing Mia remembered before waking up nude in this bed was having the craziest, hottest, most toe-curling sex she'd ever had with her caffeine addict beau.

And by _GOD_ was it satisfying.

She caught the scent of coffee in the air. Assuming Diego had awoken first and decided to brew up some java, she threw on one of his shirts and made her way to the kitchen.

There she found only a cup of coffee and a note.

 _Kitten,_

 _Caught a lead on a certain case and went to go talk to a witness. Might also stop by the clinic to get tested for cat scratch fever. Turns out a certain kitten really does have claws._

 _Don't wait up, Diego_

Smiling at the note, Mia took a sip of her hot beverage.

God, she loved bitter coffee.


End file.
